A   LANDSMAN'S   LOG 


FIRING    A    THREE-INCH   GUN   AT  TARGET  PRACTICE 

Copyriglit,  1911,  by  R.  IV.  AVv.wr 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


BY 
ROBERT  W.  NEESER 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION 

BY  REAR  ADMIRAL  CHARLES  J.  BADGER,  U.  S.  N. 

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  OF  THE 

ATLANTIC  FLEET 


NEW  HAVEN:   YALE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

LONDON:    HENRY  FROWDE 

OXFORD  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

MCMXIII 


COPYRIGHT,  1913, 
BY  YALE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 


First  printed  February,  1913,  one  thousand  copies 


TO  THE 
CREW  OF  THE  KANSAS 


259909 


PREFACE 

To  the  average  citizen,  the  life  on  board  ship 
is,  unfortunately,  a  closed  book.  Only  when 
the  fleet  is  in  port  has  he  the  opportunity  of 
treading  the  deck  of  a  man-o'-war,  and  then  his 
visits  result  only  in  a  confused  impression  of 
guns,  machinery,  and  cramped  spaces.  Of  the 
ways  of  the  service  he  has  seen  nothing. 

It  has  seemed  worth  while,  therefore,  to 
publish  the  account  which  follows,  not  because 
it  describes  any  unusual  or  important  events, 
but  because  it  sets  forth  the  daily  life  and  the 
day's  work  for  the  thousands  of  bluejackets 
who  to-day  man  the  fighting  vessels  of  our 
Navy. 

This  book  records  the  observations  and  im- 
pressions formed  by  a  civilian  during  a  winter's 
cruise  with  the  Atlantic  Fleet.  It  is  a  journal 
of  what  the  fleet  does  in  times  of  peace  to  main- 
tain its  efficiency,  a  record  of  what  it  accom- 
plishes when  off  parade. 

Most  gratefully  do  I  here  acknowledge  the 
courtesies  with  which  I  was  fairly  overwhelmed 
during  those  four  months  with  the  fleet.  In 
publicly  acknowledging  my  indebtedness  to  the 


viii  PREFACE 

many  who  have  been  so  kind  to  me,  I  desire  to 
express  my  obligations  in  particular  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  and  to  Rear  Admiral 
Seaton  Schroeder,  U.  S.  N.,  who  was  then 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Atlantic  Fleet,  for 
the  authority  to  make  this  cruise;  to  Rear 
Admiral  Charles  J.  Badger,  U.  S.  N.,  the 
commanding  officer  of  the  Kansas,  the  ship  to 
which  I  was  assigned,  and  to  my  shipmates  and 
to  others  in  the  Service  for  their  hospitality 
and  many  acts  of  kindness. 

January,  1913. 


CONTENTS 


Introduction 1 

Wednesday,  January  5th.  Joining  the  Kansas. 
My  quarters  on  board.  Getting  acquainted. 
Dinner  5 

Thursday,  January  6th.  Detained  by  fog. 
"Colors."  The  "Mast."  Discipline  in  the 
Navy 7 

Friday,  January  7th.  Getting  under  way.  The 
fleet  in  a  sea.  Squadron  evolutions  and  order 
of  steaming.  On  the  bridge 10 

Saturday,  January  8th.  The  Mississippi  and 
Idaho  join  the  fleet.  Routine  drills  and  exer- 
cises. Fleet  manoeuvres.  Changes  of  speed. 
The  ship's  library.  Cruising  at  night  .  .  13 

Sunday,  January  9th.  Steam  tactics.  The 

ship's  officers  and  their  duties  ....  16 

Monday,  January  10th.  The  tropical  day. 
Physical  exercises.  Fire-control  drill.  Tac- 
tical exercises  resumed 18 

Tuesday,  January  llth.  Off  San  Salvador 
Island.  Passing  Castle  Island.  Drills.  Fleet 
evolutions  and  exercises 19 

Wednesday,  January  12th.  Off  the  Cuban 
shore.  Guantanamo  Bay  and  the  naval  sta- 
tion. Traditions  of  the  naval  uniform. 
Choosing  the  athletic  fields 21 


x  CONTENTS 

Thursday,  January  13th.  General  Quarters. 

Coaling  ship 26 

Friday,  January  14th.    "Field  Day"  ...        27 

Saturday,  January  15th.     The  Lucky  Bag     .        28 

Sunday,  January  16th.  Explorations  on  shore. 

The  Cuzco  Hills 29 

Monday,  January  17th.  Standardization 
Trials ;  their  value  and  importance.  Man- 
overboard  drill 32 

Tuesday,  January  18th.  Mail  day.  The  daily 
routine.  Life  on  board  ship.  The  bugle  calls. 
Rivalry  between  ships.  Etiquette  on  board  .  35 

Friday,  January  21st.  The  Full  Power  Trials. 
In  the  engine-  and  fire-rooms.  Efficiency  of 
the  ships'  engineer  forces 40 

Saturday,  January  22nd.  Entertainment  on 
the  Kansas 43 

Sunday,  January  23rd.  Excursion  to  Guanta- 
namo  City.  The  old  Spanish  fort  on  Toro 
Cay.  The  Plaza.  The  cemetery  ...  44 

Monday,  January  24th.  Seamanship  exercises. 

Anchor  drill 48 

Tuesday,  January  25th.  Fire-drill.  Searching 

for  the  lost  anchor 49 

Wednesday,  January  26th.    Coaling  ship  .       .        50 

Thursday,  January  27th.  "Field  day." 

Smoker  on  the  Mississippi 53 

Friday,  January  28th.    "Abandon  ship"  drill  .        55 


CONTENTS  xi 

Saturday,  January  29th.  Trip  to  Santiago  in 
the  Uncas.  Daiquiri.  Siboney.  Santiago 
harbor.  The  city 56 

Sunday,  January  30th.  A  visit  to  Morro  Cas- 
tle. The  return  voyage 61 

Monday,  January  31st.  Admiral's  Inspection 

Day  A 63 

Tuesday,  February  1st.  Field-gun  target  prac- 
tice. Reconnoissance  on  shore  ....  64 

Wednesday,  February  2nd.  General  quarters. 
Brigade  drill  on  shore.  "Movies"  on  the 
quarter-deck 65 

Thursday,  February  3rd.  Turning  trials.  Ad- 
miral's Inspection  Day  C.  Battle  Plan  exer- 
cises   67 

Friday,  February  4th.  Admiral's  Inspection 
Day  C.  The  ship  cleared  for  action.  A  blue- 
jacket's presence  of  mind.  Battle  plan  exer- 
cises resumed 68 

Saturday,  February  5th.  "Field  day."  The 
sailor  guard.  The  bluejackets'  aversion  to 
"soldiering."  A  Naval  Academy  yarn  .  .  71 

Monday,  February  7th.  To  Caimanera  in  the 
market-boat.  Torpedo  and  mine  laying 
drills 74 

Tuesday,  February  8th.  Naval  gunnery  and 
target  practice.  The  "dotter."  Loading 
drill  75 


xii  CONTENTS 

Wednesday,  February  9th.  "Landing  force, 
Away!"  The  Navy  on  shore.  Searchlight 
drill 77 

Thursday,  February  10th.  Turning  trials; 
their  importance.  Battle-plan  exercises. 
Loading  drill  in  the  12-inch  turret  ...  80 

Friday,  February  llth.  Turning  trials.  The 

Executive  Officer's  weekly  inspection  .  .  83 

Monday,  February  14th.     Collision  quarters  .        84 

Wednesday,  February  16th.  Admiral's  Inspec- 
tion Day  D.  The  fleet's  landing  force  on 
shore 86 

Thursday,  February  17th.  Turning  trials. 

Towing  exercises 88 

Saturday,  February  19th.  Painting  ship. 

Preparations  for  going  into  camp  on  shore  .  89 

Sunday,  February  20th.  Ashore  on  Deer  Point. 
The  enlisted  men's  tents.  The  battalion  mess. 
Our  ideal  camping  site 90 

Monday,  February  21st.  Routine  in  camp. 

A  morning  on  the  small-arms  range  ...  92 

Tuesday,  February  22nd.  Washington's  Birth- 
day. Shooting  trip  with  the  Surgeon. 
Baseball  games  and  athletic  sports  ...  93 

Wednesday,  February  23rd.  On  the  range. 

Admiral's  Inspection  Day  E  95 

Friday,  February  25th.  Small-arms  target 

practice.  A  change  in  plans  ....  97 


CONTENTS  xiii 

Sunday,  February  27th.  A  tropical  wind-storm       99 

Monday,  February  28th.  The  Navy's  "clean- 
liness"   100 

Tuesday,   March   1st.      Collective   firing   and 

ships'  competitions 101 

Wednesday,  March  2nd.    The  last  day  of  camp     101 

Thursday,  March  3rd.  Boat  race  with  the 

Connecticut.  Breaking  camp  .  .  .  .102 

Friday,  March  4th.  Sports  week  begun.  The 
"Gilded  Rooster"  Trophy.  The  tradition  of 
the  "Rooster."  Boat  pulling  races.  Swim- 
ming and  sailing  competitions  .  .  .  .  103 

Saturday,  March  5th.  Pulling  races  for  the 
Pensacola  Cup.  Match  between  officers'  rifle 
teams.  Smoker  on  the  Idaho  .  .  .  .107 

Sunday,  March  6th.  Baseball  and  boat  races. 
Officers'  race.  The  Belmont  and  Drexel  Chal- 
lenge Cup  Races.  The  Battenberg  Squadron 
Cup 108 

Tuesday,  March  8th.  Coaling  ship.  My  first 

climb  up  the  foremast 110 

Friday,  March  llth.  Mail  day.  More  gun- 
nery training Ill 

Saturday,  March  12th.  The  Wisconsin's  tar- 
get practice.  Old  and  new  methods  of  gun- 
nery training 112 

Sunday,  March  13th.  Ladies'  day !  The  visit 
of  the  Avon  113 


xiv  CONTENTS 

Saturday,  March  19th.  Boat  race  between  the 
Minnesota  and  the  Georgia.  The  Nebraska- 
New  Hampshire  baseball  game  for  the  cham- 
pionship of  the  fleet 114 

Sunday,  March  20th.  Shooting  trip  to  Lake 

Manati.  The  Kermess  at  Guantanamo  City  116 

Monday,  March  21st.    Gunnery  training  .       .      118 

Tuesday,  March  22nd.  Social  life  on  a  man-o'- 
war. .  The  relations  between  the  enlisted  men 
and  their  officers.  The  messes.  How  organ- 
ized. The  wardroom  mess.  Life  in  the  mess  119 

Wednesday,  March  23rd.  At  sea  correcting 

compasses.  Fire-control  drills  .  .  .  .126 

Thursday,  March  24th.     The  departure  from 

Guantanamo  Bay 127 

Friday,  March  25th.  The  beauties  of  the 

Caribbean.  The  bow  wave.  Cinders  .  .  128 

Sunday,  March  27th.    Easter  Sunday  .       .      .      129 

Monday,  March  28th.  Cold  weather.  Steel 
ships  not  meant  for  zero  temperatures. 
Standing  in  by  Cape  Henry.  Punctuality  in 
the  Navy.  Arrival  in  Hampton  Roads  .  .  130 

Saturday,  April  2nd.  Superstition  in  the  Navy. 
Good  omens.  "Movies."  Diversions  in  the 
wardroom 132 

Monday,  April  4th.  Mooring  ship.  Under  way 
for  the  Southern  Drill  Grounds.  Fleet  steam- 
ing in  a  fog.  The  fog-buoy 135 


CONTENTS  xv 

Tuesday,  April  5th.  On  the  Southern  Drill 
Grounds.  The  magazines  and  shell-rooms. 
The  fleet's  mail  service 137 

Wednesday,  April  6th.  Gunnery  exercises  with 

the  Louisiana.  In  the  foretop  .  .  .  .139 

Monday,  April  llth.  Competition  in  the  Navy. 
The  bluejackets'  sporting  spirit.  Rivalry 
between  the  two  after  8-inch  turret  crews  .  140 

Wednesday,  April  13th.  Dreams  and  night- 
mares   141 

Monday,  April  18th.  Ready  for  target  prac- 
tice   142 

Tuesday,  April  19th.  Cleared  for  action.  The 
Louisiana  on  the  range.  Target  practice 
with  the  7-inch  batteries.  A  wonderful  rec- 
ord. In  the  maintop.  The  importance  of 
co-operation  in  battle.  Between-decks  .  .  143 

Wednesday,  April  20th.  Smokeless  powder. 
Target  practice  continued.  Examining  the 
target-screens.  Jack's  shamrocks  .  .  .  148 

Thursday,  April  21st.  The  thunder  of  the  12- 
inch  turret-guns.  Inside  the  turret.  On 
deck.  The  "blast."  The  sub-station  .  .  151 

Saturday,  April  23rd.  The  value  of  target 

practice.  Its  lessons 156 

Sunday,  April  24th.  Night  practice  with  the 
torpedo  defense  batteries.  The  glory  of  the 
tracers  and  of  the  searchlights.  The  "hu- 
man" side  of  target  practice, — on  the  target- 
raft  157 


xvi  CONTENTS 

Wednesday,  April  27th.    "Cease  firing !"  Com- 
fortable once  more.    Off  the  Delaware  Capes  161 

Thursday,  April  28th.    In  the  Delaware.    Ar- 
rival at  the  Navy  Yard.    Good-bye  .      .      .  162 

Appendix : 

U.  S.  S.  Kansas 167 

U.  S.  Atlantic  Fleet 167 

Daily  Sea  Routine 169 

Personnel  of  the  Navy 173 

Requirements  for  enlistment  in  the  Navy     .  174 

Statistics  of  enlistment  in  the  Navy,  1911   .  175 

Citizenship  of  the  enlisted  force,  1911   .       .  175 
Pay,  promotion  and  rewards  in  the  Navy  and 

Marine  Corps 176 

Average  cost  of  maintenance  of  vessels  of  the 

Navy 193 

Guns  and  projectiles 194 

Consumption  of  coal 194 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FIRING  A  THREE-INCH  GUN   AT   TARGET 

PRACTICE Frontispiece 

Facing 
page 

THE  KANSAS'S  WARDROOM 7 

THE  BATTLESHIP  VERMONT 12 

THE  FLEET  ENTERING  GUANTANAMO  BAY  ...  22 
"SHEP"      ANSWERING      SWIMMING      CALL — THE 
KANSAS'S    MASCOT    DIVING    FROM    THE    LEADS- 
MAN'S PLATFORM  TWENTY-FIVE  FEET  ABOVE  THE 

WATER  LINE 26 

GUANTANAMO  BAY  VIEWED  FROM  THE  Cuzco  HILLS  28 

SUNDAY  MORNING  QUARTERS 30 

A  BIRD'S-EYE   VIEW   OF  THE   KANSAS,  FROM  THE 

FORETOP 34 

SCRUBBING  CLOTHES 38 

THE  FULL  POWER  TRIALS,  THE  CONNECTICUT  AND 

THE  VERMONT 40 

THE  FLEET  AT  ANCHOR  IN  GUANTANAMO  BAY  .      .  44 

A  SEVEN-INCH  GUN  CREW  AT  LOADING  DRILL  .      .  48 

LIGHTHOUSE  POINT,  GUANTANAMO  BAY       ...  52 

A  BOAT  PULLING  RACE 56 

SEEN  FROM  ALOFT:  THE  QUARTER-DECK  OF  THE 

KANSAS 60 

THE  KANSAS'S  BATTALION   ENCAMPING  ON  DEER 

POINT 64 

RETURNING  TO  CAMP  66 


xviii  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Facing 
page 

THE  SMALL-ARMS  RANGE  AT  GUANTANAMO  BAY  .  70 

ON  THE  FIRING  LINE 74 

ON  THE  MARCH 78 

"DICK"  ENJOYING  His  BREAKFAST 84 

LOOKING  AFT  FROM  THE  FORECASTLE  ....  88 
COALING  SHIP — As  SEEN  FROM  THE  FORETOP. 

THE  COLLIER  HECTOR  ALONGSIDE  THE  KANSAS  92 

THE  BASEBALL  DIAMOND  AT  GUANTANAMO  BAY  .  94 

LIBERTY  PARTY  ASHORE  ! 98 

THE  FORECASTLE  ON  A  MID-WEEK  MORNING  .  .  100 

SQUADRON  EVOLUTIONS 106 

"DOTTER"  PRACTICE  ON  AN  EIGHT-INCH  TURRET  110 

THE  KANSAS'S  MAINMAST 114 

AN  EXCITING  FINISH 116 

THE  ATLANTIC  FLEET  ON  THE  SOUTHERN  DRILL 

GROUNDS 120 

THE  KANSAS'S  BROADSIDE 124 

THE  KANSAS  IN  ACTION 128 

"STAND  BY  !  FIRE  !"  A  SEVEN-INCH  GUN  CREW  IN 

ACTION  ON  BOARD  THE  U.  S.  S.  KANSAS  .  .  .  132 

UMPIRES  COUNTING  THE  HITS  ON  A  TARGET-SCREEN  136 

FIRING  THE  TWELVE-INCH  GUNS 140 

THE  REPAIR  PARTY  AT  WORK  ON  THE  TARGET-RAFT  144 

OFFICERS  WATCHING  A  RIVAL  SHIP  FIRING  .  .  150 

A  TWELVE-INCH  SALVO  LANDING 154 

A  TWELVE-INCH  TARGET-SCREEN  AFTER  ONE 

ROUND    .                   158 


A   LANDSMAN'S   LOG 


INTRODUCTION 


Washington, 
November, 

The  practical  disappearance  of  sail  propul- 
sion for  deep  water  ships,  with  their  pictur- 
esque array  of  spars  and  sail  and  intricate  rig- 
ging, the  long  passages,  the  dangers  of  the 
deadly  lee  shore,  the  struggle  with  hurricane 
winds  and  mountainous  seas,  requiring  all  the 
skill  and  fortitude  of  the  seamen  to  win 
through  in  safety,  has  frequently  led  to  the 
declaration  that  the  romance  of  the  sea  is  gone, 
but  that  enthusiastic  interest  in  modern  ships 
and  the  men  who  go  down  to  the  sea  in  them 
still  exists  "A  Landsman's  Log"  abundantly 
proves. 

Externally,  the  massive,  warlike  appearance 
of  the  battleship  of  the  present  day  at  once 
impresses  with  a  species  of  awe  even  the  most 
casual  observer,  but  it  is  only  when  viewed 
from  within  that  a  realization  of  the  enormous 
power  for  offense  and  defense  lodged  behind 
the  walls  of  steel  becomes  possible,  and  never 
fails  to  excite  the  wonder  and  admiration  of 
the  novice  who  views  it  for  the  first  time. 


2  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

Indeed,  so  rapid  are  the  changes  in  size  and 
equipment  that  even  the  expert  is  taxed  to 
keep  abreast  of  the  improvements  as  each  new 
ship  comes  from  the  hands  of  the  builders. 
Ten  years  sees  the  crack  ship  of  her  day  rele- 
gated to  the  second  line  of  defense,  and  twenty 
years  puts  her  into  the  hopelessly  obsolete  class. 
This  is  the  reason  why  the  cost  of  maintaining 
a  modern  Navy  is  so  great.  It  is  not  mere 
numbers  that  count;  the  ships  must  be  up-to- 
date  in  all  respects  or  they  cannot  hold  their 
own  when  the  day  of  trial  in  actual  war  arrives 
with  a  nation  which  has  followed  a  consistently 
progressive  policy  in  its  naval  construction. 

It  was  to  a  ship  still  of  the  first  line,  forming 
one  of  an  active  fleet  of  similar  vessels,  that  our 
author  brought  his  powers  of  observation  and 
description.  It  is  possible  that  a  longer  expe- 
rience on  board  might  have  led  to  a  modifica- 
tion of  some  of  his  early  impressions,  but  the 
"Log"  presents,  as  it  stands,  an  interesting 
and  remarkably  accurate  description  of  the  life 
and  work  on  board  a  modern  battleship. 

It  was,  of  course,  inevitable  that  interest 
should  soon  center  upon  the  personnel,  the 
officers  and  enlisted  men  who  give  life,  energy 
and  purpose  to  the  ship.  To  organize,  subsist, 
discipline  and  drill  such  a  large  number  of 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  3 

men  in  confined  quarters ;  to  provide  for  some 
play  as  well  as  a  great  deal  of  work;  to  main- 
tain contentment  under  adverse  conditions — 
for  all  sea  conditions  are  abnormal  to  the  aver- 
age man;  to  systematize  whatever  may  have  a 
bearing  upon  the  health,  comfort  and  efficiency 
of  the  entire  personnel,  requires  unceasing 
effort  and  long  experience  on  the  part  of  those 
in  authority. 

All  these  things  have  been  touched  upon 
most  happily  in  this  book  and  those  who  are 
curious  as  to  the  details  of  life  in  the  Navy 
of  to-day,  and  the  means  taken  to  promote  and 
insure  the  battle  efficiency  of  the  individual 
ships  as  well  as  of  the  fleet,  will  find  in  the 
following  pages  much  to  interest,  instruct  and 
amuse. 

CHAS.  J.  BADGER, 

Rear  Admiral,  U.  S.  Navy. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


WEDNESDAY,  JANUARY  5TH. 

A  new  world  it  was  that  I  stepped  into  when 
I  came  aboard  the  Kansas  about  three  bells 
this  afternoon  and  reported  my  arrival  to  the 
Officer-of-the-Deck.  I  had  long  had  a  dim 
knowledge  of  the  interior  of  a  man-o'-war  and 
some  inkling  of  the  service  itself,  but  the  many 
hours  I  had  just  spent  in  the  pilot-house  of  the 
Pawnee, — a  navy  tug  of  imposing  insignifi- 
cance which  had  conveyed  me  and  my  luggage 
from  the  Navy  Yard  to  where  the  fleet  rode  at 
anchor  in  the  North  River, —  had  convinced  me 
that  I  knew  "durned  little"  after  all.  At  least, 
that  much  I  gathered  from  my  friend,  the 
Boatswain,  who  in  that  short  space  of  time  had 
managed  to  find  out  all  the  whys  and  where- 
fores of  my  present  being,  and  overwhelmed 
me  with  advice  which  he  considered  essential 
to  my  welfare  while  sailing  the  ocean  waves. 

Once  on  board  it  did  not  take  me  long  to  get 
settled.  My  room  is  on  the  gun-deck,  abaft  the 
after  twelve-inch  barbette,  and  just  off  a  kind 


6  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

of  passage  called  the  wardroom  country,  sur- 
rounding which  are  the  quarters  of  the  com- 
missioned officers  and  the  Captain's  cabin,  the 
sanctum  sanctorum.  And  the  reason  for  my 
having  such  luxurious  quarters  is,  I  am  told, 
because  this  ship  is  one  of  the  few  in  the  fleet 
that  has  not  been  favored  with  a  sky-pilot,— 
as  the  chaplain  is  familiarly  known, — and 
hence  I  have  been  assigned  to  room  "A,"  which 
that  dignitary  of  the  church  always  claims  by 
divine  right.  And  I  must  say  that  he  is 
usually  pretty  well  off.  The  room  is  very  snug 
and  cosy,  with  a  comfortable  berth,  a  chest  of 
drawers,  wardrobe,  desk,  wash-basin  and  arm- 
chair. In  the  daytime  it  is  lighted  by  a  small, 
round  port,  which  in  good  weather  may  be 
enlarged  into  a  large,  square  one;  while  at 
night  innumerable  large  and  small  incandes- 
cent electric  lights  satisfy  the  demands  of  the 
most  exacting. 

My  first  difficulty  has  naturally  been  that 
of  becoming  acquainted  with  my  hosts,  and 
especially  those  whose  mess  I  am  to  share  on 
this  cruise.  A  few  I  had  already  met,  but  all 
have  been  so  amiable,  so  anxious  to  make  me 
feel  at  home,  that  I  am  overwhelmed  with 
kindnesses,  and  our  friendship  of  only  a  few 
hours  has  already  shown  that  our  life  as  ship- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  7 

mates  is  going  to  be  something  to  look  forward 
to.  At  seven  we  gathered  in  the  wardroom  for 
dinner,  and  what  a  function  it  was!  As  a 
matter  of  precaution  I  had  donned  a  dinner 
coat,  but  I  was  not  half  "dressed"  compared 
with  the  distinguished  company  that  graced 
the  mess  that  evening.  All  were  in  their  best 
evening  clothes — uniforms,  I  should  say.  But 
this,  I  was  informed,  was  always  the  rule  when 
in  port.  For  the  Navy  Regulations  have  it  all 
down  in  black  and  white ;  the  stiff  white  shirts, 
black  bow  ties,  white  waistcoats,  and  uniform 
dress  coats,  are  all  prescribed  in  detail,  and 
woe  to  the  unfortunate  one  who  attempts  to 
have  his  own  way. 

THURSDAY,  JANUARY  GTH. 

There  was  little  prospect  of  sailing  to-day. 
The  river  was  full  of  ice,  the  weather  most  dis- 
agreeable,— "dirty  weather,"  as  the  log-books 
of  old  would  say, — and  rain  most  of  the  time, 
so  that  on  deck  it  was  very  wet  under-foot. 
Later  in  the  morning  a  heavy  fog  came  up 
the  river  and  shrouded  us  in  a  veil  so  thick 
that  even  our  immediate  neighbors  could  not 
be  seen.  This  precluded  any  possibility  of 
getting  under  way,  though  orders  had  already 
been  issued  by  the  Commander-in- Chief  to  do 


8  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

so  at  two  o'clock.  The  leaves  of  all  the  officers 
had  expired  in  the  morning  and  all  were  on 
board  by  nine.  But  even  though  the  sailing 
was  postponed,  none  was  allowed  to  return 
on  shore  without  special  permission  from  the 
Admiral, — a  favor  which  even  the  most 
venturesome  hesitated  to  ask. 

The  boy  called  me  at  seven,  in  time  to  enjoy 
a  good  and  hearty  breakfast  before  colors,  a 
ceremony  incidental  to  the  daily  routine  about 
which  I  had  always  heard  so  much.  Eight 
bells!  The  band  burst  into  the  national 
anthem,  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  while 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  hoisted  slowly  by 
the  Quartermaster,  and  every  man,  whatever 
his  rank  or  rate,  faced  aft  at  attention  till  the 
conclusion  of  the  strain.  How  simple  that 
ceremony,  yet  how  impressive!  Not  one  to  be 
talked  about,  but  felt;  and  I  could  not  help 
thinking  that  wherever  an  American  man-of- 
war  is  in  commission  that  solemn  function  is 
always  performed. 

The  inclement  weather  soon  interrupted  my 
thoughts,  and  I  sought  refuge  below,  where  I 
had  little  difficulty  in  whiling  away  the  time. 
At  eleven-thirty,  however,  I  was  up  on  deck 
again,  just  in  time,  as  it  proved,  to  witness 
that  time-honored  custom  of  the  "tasting"  of 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  9 

the  crew's  dinner  by  the  Officer-of-the-Deck. 
Apparently  the  meal  was  to  his  liking,  for  he 
ate  it  all,  and  when  later  he  came  below  on 
his  relief  and  joined  us  in  the  wardroom  he 
had  no  appetite  left  for  the  luncheon  that  was 
being  served  to  his  own  mess. 

About  four  I  attended  the  "mast,"  or  police 
court  of  the  ship,  at  which  the  Captain,  as 
supreme  magistrate  of  his  vessel,  daily  judged 
all  those  who  had  been  guilty  of  minor  offenses. 
For  the  serious  breaches  of  discipline  the  cases 
have  to  be  referred  to  a  deck  court  consisting 
of  an  officer  of  the  ship;  if  more  serious,  a 
Summary  Court  Martial  tries  the  case,  while 
in  certain  cases  a  supreme  tribunal  ( a  General 
Court)  is  convened  by  the  Admiral  of  the 
fleet.  To-day,  however,  the  offenders  were 
mostly  charged  with  having  overstayed  their 
leave;  many,  whose  excuses  seemed  plausible, 
were  discharged;  but  the  rest  had  to  bow  to 
the  inevitable  and  receive  their  punishment  in 
the  form  of  confinement  or  extra  duty. 

What  greatly  impressed  me  in  this  simple 
and  efficacious  manner  of  dispensing  justice 
was  that,  while  the  infractions  of  discipline 
are  followed  by  punishment,  swift  and  sure, 
the  discipline  of  the  Navy  is  not  harsh  or 
unbearable  to  the  normal  man.  The  rights  of 


10  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

the  bluejacket  are  as  safely  guarded  as  the 
privileges  of  the  highest  in  rank,  and  the  cases 
are  few  where  a  man  may  feel  that  he  has  been 
unjustly  dealt  with.  The  principle  by  which 
discipline  is  now  maintained  is  no  longer  to 
punish  as  severely  as  possible,  but  to  offer  to 
the  men  every  inducement  to  do  right,  so  that 
they  cannot  possibly  fail  to  see  the  advantages 
to  be  gained  by  good  behavior. 

FRIDAY,  JANUARY  TTH. 

The  day  dawned  cold  and  gray,  but  clear, 
and  I  was  early  awakened  by  the  preparations 
on  deck  for  getting  under  way.  Steam  was  up, 
the  boats  were  hoisted  in,  and  the  gangways 
were  unrigged,  so  that  by  half  past  eight,  when 
the  Admiral  made  the  signal  to  leave  our  moor- 
ings, nothing  had  been  left  undone.  The  way 
the  men  stepped  around,  and  the  way  that 
anchor  engine  tugged  and  strained  to  get  the 
"mud-hook"  out  of  the  river-bed,  were  things 
to  be  seen,  not  read  about.  And  the  leads- 
men in  the  chains  added  to  the  fascination  of 
the  scene  as  they  began  their  song, — an  old 
song  that,  alas,  has  ceased  to  charm  and  has 
gone  into  disuse  with  the  ships  in  which  it  was 
formerly  used,  for  with  our  swift  moving 
craft  the  Captain  must  know  the  soundings 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  11 

quicker  than  he  did  when  they  came  to  him 
only  at  the  end  of  a  stave  of  the  old  song. 
Then  the  engines  began  to  throb  and  we  were 
under  way.  The  Connecticut  led  the  column, 
then  came  the  Vermont,  and  third  the  Kansas. 
The  other  ships,  five  in  number,  followed  in 
our  wake.  It  was  an  impressive  manoeuvre 
in  the  crowded  river  channel,  and  I  was 
filled  with  admiration  as  I  beheld  that  swift 
yet  unhurried  departure. 

Rounding  Sandy  Hook  we  ran  into  a 
sou'wester;  nothing  really  worth  mentioning, 
but  enough  to  cause  the  ships  to  dance  the 
hornpipe  and  give  us  a  little  practice  limber- 
ing up  our  sea  legs.  What  a  glorious  sight 
those  ships  astern  presented,  as  they  slugged 
their  bluff-noses  into  the  surge  and  rose 
dripping  like  half-tide  rocks.  Slowly  they 
would  rise  to  the  very  summit  of  the  waves, 
then  majestically  sink  into  the  hollow  beyond, 
ready  to  tower  again  above  the  next  height. 
No  one  can  deny  their  graceful  motion,  the 
enormous  rush  of  water,  the  inherent  power 
felt  in  every  push  or  bend  or  curve  of  them, — 
which  command  not  only  respect  but  admira- 
tion. We  may  regret  the  picturesqueness  of 
the  sailing  frigate  and  the  majesty  of  the  ship- 
of-the-line,  but  in  years  to  come,  when  the 


12  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

present  time  shall  have  become  the  "good  old 
times,"  no  poetry  will  be  lacking  about  the 
present-day  thunderers  of  the  seas. 

I  was  lost  in  the  perception  of  the  various 
evolutions.  The  battleships  looked  so  massive, 
they  glided  round  each  other  so  closely,  yet 
preserved  their  relative  positions  with  such 
precision  that  I  was  thrilled  with  admiration. 
Two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  ahead  of  us  the 
propellers  of  the  Vermont  were  churning  up 
a  foamy  wake,  while  the  same  distance  astern 
of  our  quarter-deck  the  ram  of  the  Minnesota 
was  cleaving  the  water;  and  this  distance  was 
maintained  with  an  evenness  that  might  have 
suggested  their  being  tied  together. 

We  were  now  strung  out  in  a  two-mile 
column,  eight  ships,  heading  southward.  As 
soon  as  we  were  outside,  the  flagship  began  to 
wreathe  herself  in  vari-colored  flags,  and  then 
all  was  bustle  on  the  other  ships.  Up  on  our 
bridge,  the  small  army  of  signal  boys  appeared 
to  have  their  work  cut  out  for  them ;  here,  too, 
was  the  Officer-of-the-Deck,  signal-book  in 
hand,  with  the  Quartermaster  close  by,  the 
Captain,  the  Navigator,  and  men  innumerable 
for  every  mechanical  device  needed  to  handle 
the  massive  engine  of  war;  while  on  one  side 
stood  a  young  officer,  a  midshipman,  looking 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  13 

through  a  curious  instrument  of  bars  and 
wheels  and  glasses,  engrossed  in  the  all-impor- 
tant task  of  keeping  note  of  the  distance 
between  this  ship  and  the  next  ahead, — all- 
important,  for  should  he  not  know  it,  the 
Admiral  would,  and  this  was  not  the  best 
way  of  attracting  the  Commander-in- Chief's 
attention. 

SATURDAY,,  JANUARY  STH. 

During  the  night  the  sea  moderated  con- 
siderably; at  daybreak  there  remained  but  an 
easy  ground-swell.  The  sky,  however,  has 
been  overcast  all  day.  Last  evening  the 
Mississippi  and  Idaho  joined  the  fleet,  having 
come  down  the  Delaware  from  Philadelphia, 
and  took  up  their  position  astern  of  us.  The 
morning  was  devoted  to  routine  work,  quarters 
were  at  half  past  ten,  and  the  crew  paraded 
the  quarter-deck  while  the  band  played  its  best. 

Then  in  the  afternoon  the  Admiral  signalled 
for  manoeuvres  and  the  way  the  ships  played 
round  each  other,  like  dolphins,  was  a  pleasure 
to  the  eye  of  even  the  most  trained  observer. 
But  what  impressed  me  more  than  anything 
else  was  the  number  of  times  the  ships  were 
called  upon  to  alter  their  speeds.  The  ocean 
liner,  once  clear  of  the  land,  usually  strikes 


14  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

her  pace  and  holds  it  to  the  end  of  her  voyage, 
but  her  sister,  the  ship  of  war,  must  ever 
change  her  gait  under  the  will  of  the  Admiral 
and  be  able,  at  a  moment's  notice,  to  make 
a  spurt  or  drop  several  knots  as  the  occasion 
demands.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  I 
counted  as  many  as  six  different  speeds,  rang- 
ing from  eight  to  fifteen  knots,  which  latter 
was  our  point  of  maximum  vibration.  Yet 
even  then  you  could  feel  she  was  being  held 
back,  and  that  the  restive  twin  screws  were 
only  longing  for  an  opportunity  of  showing 
what  they  really  could  do. 

At  noon  we  were  off  Hatteras,  but  as  we 
were  ninety  miles  out  at  sea,  we  naturally  did 
not  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  dreaded  spot,  though 
I  must  confess  that  the  junior  marine  officer 
(on  his  first  cruise)  and  I  both  rushed  up  on 
deck,  letters  in  hand,  under  the  mistaken 
impression  that  we  might  post  them  as  we 
passed  the  mail  buoy, — to  the  great  glee  of 
those  who  had  so  easily  fooled  us. 

Every  hour  has  been  so  surcharged  with 
interest  that  my  brain  has  become  filled  to 
overflowing  with  new  impressions, — a  host  of 
details,  no  one  of  which  could  be  willingly 
missed.  But  in  the  afternoon  I  had  a  gentle 
breathing  spell  when  the  Navigator  led  me 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  15 

into  his  office  on  the  berth-deck,  and  initiated 
me  into  the  mysteries  of  some  of  his  special 
duties.  What  he  attempted  to  cram  into  my 
bewildered  brain,  I  do  not  recall.  It  had  to 
do  with  the  navigation  of  the  ship,  electrical 
apparatus,  log-books,  and  log-lines.  But  one 
thing  that  I  do  remember,  perhaps  because  it 
was  the  easiest  thing  to  comprehend,  was  that 
part  of  his  special  duties  that  related  to  his 
position  as  librarian  of  the  ship.  And  then  I 
found  out  what  a  splendid  collection  of  books, 
works  on  geography,  history,  professional  sub- 
jects, travel,  fiction  and  general  literature,  is  at 
the  disposal  of  every  officer  and  enlisted  man 
on  board  Uncle  Sam's  ships  wherever  they 
may  be.  And  it  is  only  one  of  the  many 
luxuries  the  present-day  sailor  enjoys.  The 
American  Navy  was  the  first  to  institute  the 
custom,  and  the  first  ship's  library  was  placed 
on  the  old  ship-of-the-line  Franklin  in  the 
early  twenties.  Few  agencies  in  recent  years 
have  done  more  to  raise  the  tone  of  the  enlisted 
men  in  the  service,  to  improve  their  standards 
of  character  and  efficiency,  and  to  add  to  their 
contentment,  than  these  well-selected  libraries 
which  are  now  placed  on  board  our  ships. 
Scores  of  men  may  daily  be  seen,  scattered 
about  the  decks  during  the  idle  hours  that 


16  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

necessarily  do  occur  even  in  the  busy  life 
of  a  modern  man-of-war,  reading,  or  with 
pencil  and  paper  working  on  some  problem. 
Books  are  read  and  re-read  until  their  covers 
are  worn  from  constant  use,  and  this  clean  and 
wholesome  reading  fills  up  the  hours  that 
otherwise  would  have  been  spent  in  idleness  or 
worse. 

After  dinner  the  beauties  of  the  brilliant 
night  lured  us  on  deck.  About  us  frolicked 
our  ten  companions,  the  silence  of  the  night 
broken  only  by  the  dull  thud  of  their  engines 
as  they  glided  through  the  glassy  sea,  each  with 
her  ardois  signals  winking  unceasingly  and 
semaphores  frantically  waving  their  spectral 
arms. 

SUNDAY,  JANUARY  OTH. 

Steam  tactics  again  were  the  order  of  the 
day,  but  I  was  too  engrossed  in  the  life  of  my 
own  ship  to  be  intelligently  interested  in  evo- 
lutions. Hour  by  hour  the  complex  organiza- 
tion of  this  engine  of  war  has  been  unfolding 
before  me  until  every  detail  has  become  fixed 
in  my  mind. 

At  the  head  of  this  community  of  almost  a 
thousand  souls  is  the  Captain,  who  is  vested 
with  the  supreme  control  of  the  ship,  and  is 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  17 

responsible  to  the  Department  for  her  in  every 
way.  Next  in  rank  comes  the  Executive  Offi- 
cer, who,  as  the  representative  and  right-hand 
man  of  the  Captain,  sees  that  his  orders  are 
properly  executed  and  aids  in  maintaining  the 
general  efficiency  of  the  ship.  He  runs  almost 
everything  on  board;  he  is  the  general  manager 
and  housekeeper.  At  one  time  he  is  overlook- 
ing the  hoisting  in  of  a  cutter,  at  another 
talking  over  the  next  music  programme  with 
the  Bandmaster,  or  conferring  with  the  Pay- 
master about  the  crew's  dinner,  or  planning  a 
new  ash  dump  with  the  carpenter.  His  work 
has  no  end,  and  seldom  does  he  even  find  time 
to  have  a  quiet  smoke  or  uninterrupted  nap 
in  his  own  room.  Then  comes  the  First 
Lieutenant,  or  "fust  luff,"  who,  as  "assistant 
housekeeper,"  is  responsible  for  the  general 
cleanliness  of  the  ship.  The  Navigator  navi-, 
gates  the  ship  when  at  sea  and  oversees  all  the 
electrical  apparatus,  which  alone  is  no  small 
task.  On  the  Ordnance  Officer  devolves  the 
charge  of  the  guns  and  ammunition;  he  con- 
ducts target  practice,  and  to  his  efforts  and 
supervision  are  mainly  due  the  results  which 
the  ship  obtains  when  the  final  test  of  hitting 
the  bull's-eye  comes.  Then  there  is  the  Chief 
Engineer,  who  rules  over  a  small  world  all  by 


18  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

himself,  while  the  Paymaster  overlooks  the  offi- 
cial financial  affairs  of  the  community,  feeds 
the  men,  pays  them  their  wages,  and  provides 
them  with  clothing.  In  addition  to  these  com- 
missioned officers,  and  next  in  rank,  are  the 
watch  and  division  officers, — those  who  stand 
watch  on  the  bridge  at  sea  and  on  the  quarter- 
deck in  port  as  the  representatives  of  the  Cap- 
tain, and  have  general  charge  of  the  ship  while 
they  have  "the  deck."  Each  has  command  of 
one  of  the  various  divisions  into  which  the  crew 
is  split  up,  and  generally  has  a  junior  officer  to 
assist  him  in  this  important  and  responsible 
duty. 

And  so  it  goes  on.  Every  man,  officer  and 
bluejacket  has  his  place.  Not  a  thing  has  been 
overlooked.  Yet  I  could  not  help  marvelling 
how  simple  it  all  was,  and  how  smoothly  the 
intricate  and  complex  machinery  performed 
every  one  of  its  varied  tasks  after  it  had  been 
properly  adjusted. 

MONDAY,  JANUARY  IOTH. 

Speaking  of  tropical  weather,  to-day  is  a 
good  sample.  To  say  the  least,  it  is  decidedly 
warm  on  deck,  the  crew  are  all  in  "whites," 
and  the  scene  presents  quite  a  contrast  to  what 
it  was  in  New  York  four  days  ago.  At  six 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  19 

the  huge  sun  rose  out  of  the  molten  sea,  with 
a  suddenness  and  blazing  heat  known  only  to 
these  latitudes,  climbed  to  the  zenith  with  a 
haste  that  made  its  progress  almost  visible  to 
the  naked  eye,  then  with  equal  haste  hurried 
down  below  the  horizon  at  the  same  hour  in  the 
evening,  leaving  that  curious  flash  of  green 
light  in  the  sea.  Then  night  fell,  the  stars 
began  to  twinkle  merrily,  and  the  signal  and 
running  lights  on  the  ships  burst  into  a  blaze 
of  glory. 

At  9 :  45  the  crew  were  given  physical  exer- 
cises, with  and  without  arms,  after  which  Fire- 
Control  Drill  was  held.  Just  to  try  the  prepar- 
edness of  the  engineer  forces,  the  Admiral 
suddenly  ordered  sixteen  knots,  perhaps  in  the 
hope  of  finding  somebody  napping.  But  that 
was  not  to  be,  and  the  engines  all  responded 
with  a  willingness  that  aroused  in  you  some  of 
the  affection  that  the  engineer  force  already 
felt  for  them. 

TUESDAY,  JANUARY  HTH. 

Last  night  about  9 :  30  we  were  abreast  of 
Watling  Island  (San  Salvador)  light.  The 
fleet  was  at  the  time  steaming  in  column;  ten 
ships  were  astern  of  us,  the  Wisconsin  having 
joined  since  dinner,  which  makes  our  total 


20  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

number  now  thirteen.  At  7 :  45  this  morning 
we  passed  Crooked  Island,  and  at  ten  ran 
between  Castle  Island  and  Miraporvos  Bay. 
From  9 :  30  until  10 :  30  the  crew  went  through 
the  usual  drills,  after  which  the  officers  received 
gunnery  and  target  practice  instructions  from 
the  Ordnance  Officer.  Then  after  dinner  the 
drills  were  resumed,  and  afterwards  the  fleet 
engaged  in  various  evolutions  in  obedience  to 
the  signals  from  the  flagship.  We  passed  and 
repassed  each  other,  turned  circles,  ran  back, 
and  what  not.  Before  we  knew  it  we  were 
heading  north  again,  and  then  everybody  won- 
dered what  it  was  all  about.  The  only  way  we 
could  account  for  these  antics,  and  the  sudden 
change  in  the  course  of  the  fleet  towards  home, 
was  that  the  Admiral  did  not  wish  to  reach 
Guantanamo  Bay  before  daylight.  He  had 
announced  his  arrival  for  then,  and  at  that 
hour  he  would  therefore  be  there,  and  no 
sooner.  It  would  never  do  to  get  there  ahead 
of  time,  so  I  was  told;  that  was  not  the  way 
they  did  things  in  the  Navy. 

But  the  mischief  wrought  by  this  innocent 
manoeuvre  no  one  at  the  moment  realized. 
The  trade  wind,  common  to  this  region,  was 
blowing  rather  freshly,  enough  to  kick  up  a 
bit  of  a  sea,  and  make  us  gather  our  sea  legs. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  21 

It  was  all  on  the  port  side,  however,  so  we  of 
the  lee  (or  starboard)  side  had  left  our  ports 
wide  open  to  enjoy  what  little  breeze  might 
find  its  way  into  our  rooms.  But  the  minute 
the  ship  changed  her  course,  our  positions  were 
reversed  and  before  we  could  make  a  move  in 
self-defense  an  awkward  sea  came  aboard  the 
quarter-deck  just  abaft  the  turret.  I  rushed 
below  in  expectation  of  finding  my  quarters 
deluged,  and  the  stream  of  water  I  waded  into 
at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  led  me  to  believe  that 
my  worst  fears  had  been  realized.  But  it  was 
the  Navigator,  not  I,  that  had  been  drowned 
out.  The  thoughtful  mess-boy  had  already 
closed  the  port  of  my  room  and  was  in  the  act 
of  shutting  his  when  the  flood  came.  Not  a 
thing  escaped  the  drenching.  And  it  was  his 
second  experience  in  a  week! 

WEDNESDAY,  JANUARY  12TH. 

My  ideas  of  Cuban  scenery  prior  to  my 
arrival  off  the  Coast  were  based  on  my  youth- 
ful recollections  of  maps  of  the  West  Indies 
in  the  geographies.  On  these  the  land  appears 
flat  and  uninteresting,  and  wholly  unworthy 
of  the  slightest  consideration.  And  when  yes- 
terday we  sighted  the  low-lying  islands  of 
the  Bahamas  my  impressions  seemed  to  have 


22  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

received  unquestionable  confirmation.  But 
this  morning  when  I  came  on  deck,  to  my 
amazement  I  beheld  hills  and  even  mountains 
rising  as  it  were  out  of  the  sea,  some  even  to  a 
height  of  thousands  of  feet.  Truly  it  was  a 
revelation.  We  were  steaming  in  single  col- 
umn along  the  shore,  and  at  the  appointed 
hour  made  the  broad  entrance  of  Guantanamo 
Bay,  which  was  to  be  our  base  of  operations 
and  our  home  during  the  next  few  months. 
Once  inside  we  came  to  anchor  in  line  of  squad- 
rons, off  the  naval  station,  where  were  already 
the  station-ship  Newark,  the  scout  cruiser 
Salem,  two  colliers  and  an  auxiliary. 

Guantanamo  Bay  is  indeed  a  splendid  sheet 
of  water.  Miles  long  and  miles  wide,  it  fur- 
nishes a  commodious  harbor,  capable  of  accom- 
modating the  present  fleet  with  ease,  and  with 
plenty  of  room  for  thirty  more  if  necessary. 
For  beautiful  scenery  (at  a  distance)  it  is  un- 
surpassed. Imposing  bluish  mountains  in  the 
background  on  all  sides,  smaller  promontories 
in  the  middle  ground,  and  low  shores, — cov- 
ered with  such  uninviting  growths  as  long 
grass  and  cactus, — in  the  foreground,  sur- 
round the  large  land-locked  bay.  The  coloring 
is  gorgeous  under  the  clear  tropical  sky;  the 
water  a  rich  ultramarine  blue,  a  greenish-yel- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  23 

low,  bright  green  or  even  dull  brown.  What 
more  ideal  spot  could  be  imagined!  Truly  it 
shows  the  hand  of  a  divinity,  only,  alas,  after 
its  creation  no  divinity  would  dwell  in  it,  as  an 
officer  sorrowfully  remarked. 

Casting  aside  the  mere  beauties  of  the  scene, 
and  coming  down  to  more  practical  considera- 
tions, you  find  little  to  commend  it.  The 
place  is  barren  and  desolate ;  the  nearest  settle- 
ment is  Caimanera,  at  the  head  of  the  bay, 
outside  the  reservation,  with  its  lazy,  dirty  and 
worthless  crowd  of  mulattoes.  The  city  of 
Guantanamo,  about  seventeen  miles  inland,  is 
practically  inaccessible  owing  to  the  poor  rail- 
road communications.  Around  the  outer  bay 
is  scattered  the  naval  station,  comprising  the 
station-ship  Newark,  a  shore  office  for  the 
Commandant,  one  general  store,  a  coaling  sta- 
tion, and  a  few  frame  structures  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  officers  and  men  on  duty 
there.  A  redeeming  feature  of  the  place  is  the 
officers'  club  and  the  men's  building,  with  their 
large  verandas,  where  the  cool  trade  winds  may 
be  enjoyed  to  advantage.  But  the  principal 
drawback,  they  say,  is  that  the  officers  and  men 
have  no  time  to  spend  at  them,  so  that  only 
the  most  sanguine  entertain  the  hope  that  some 
day  they  will  be  real  clubs. 


24  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

All  the  ships'  companies  are  now  in  "whites." 
Even  the  bands  have  forsaken  their  gorgeous 
uniforms.  And  right  here  I  have  learned  how 
so  many  of  our  naval  customs  came  down  to  us 
by  natural  inheritance  from  those  in  force  on 
board  the  ships  of  the  Mother  Country.  Yet 
how  few  people  know  this!  The  black  collar 
with  its  three  white  stripes  around  the  border 
was  meant  to  commemorate  the  three  great 
victories  of  Nelson, — Trafalgar,  the  Nile,  and 
Copenhagen;  the  collar  was  black  because  in 
those  days  sailors  tarred  their  hair  and  wore  it 
in  cues,  which  soiled  their  white  collars  until 
they  became  black;  and  the  black  neckerchief 
was  added  about  the  same  time  as  a  sign  of 
mourning  for  Nelson's  death.  Even  the  epau- 
lets and  sleeve  stripes  worn  by  the  officers  had 
their  origin  in  the  brass  shields  formerly  worn 
to  protect  the  shoulders  and  forearms  from 
cutlass  cuts.  And  as  for  the  scarlet  uniforms 
of  our  naval  bands,  that  is  the  most  interesting 
story  of  all.  For  it  seems  that  during  the 
fighting  around  Baltimore  and  Washington  in 
1814  a  detachment  of  bluejackets  captured 
four  British  musicians,  and  on  renewing  the 
battle  the  following  day,  and  having  no  band 
of  their  own,  they  compelled  the  four  British- 
ers to  play  them  into  action.  Since  which 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  25 

date  the  color  of  the  uniform  has  ever  been 
scarlet. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  associations  con- 
nected with  the  naval  uniform  of  to-day,  but 
they  convey  a  meaning  which  cannot  be  mis- 
understood, and  account  for  the  sentiment  that 
has  so  often  withstood  the  agitations  against 
the  flat  cap,  the  wide  bottomed  trousers,  and 
other  so-called  objectionable  features  of  the 
sailor's  clothing.  But  the  sailors  themselves 
have  strongly  opposed  any  change,  and  when 
several  years  ago  a  complete  canvass  of  the 
wishes  of  both  officers  and  men  in  this  respect 
was  made  on  board  one  of  the  battleships,  the 
vote  was  almost  unanimous  for  the  retention 
of  the  present  picturesque  uniform. 

In  the  afternoon  the  Fleet  Athletic  Officer 
and  several  others  went  ashore  to  select 
grounds  for  the  location  of  baseball  diamonds 
and  athletic  fields,  as  well  as  places  along  the 
beach  near  the  anchorages  where  the  swim- 
ming parties  from  the  ships  might  best  be 
sent,  and  when  I  was  asked  to  accompany  them 
I  did  not  hesitate  to  take  advantage  of  this 
opportunity  of  once  more  walking  on  dry  land. 
But  it  was  warm  work  under  the  broiling  sun, 
and  we  all  were  heartily  glad  to  get  back  to 
our  ships  and  go  in  for  a  refreshing  swim  in 


26  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

the  cool  waters  of  the  bay.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  everybody  that  could  went  over  the  side, 
for  as  we  returned  on  board  swimming  call 
sounded.  Even  Shep,  one  of  our  mascots, 
lived  up  to  his  reputation  of  being  a  great 
water  dog,  and  followed  the  first  man  into  the 
water. 

THURSDAY,  JANUARY  13TH. 

One  thing  that  certainly  impresses  you  on 
board  a  man-o'-war  is  the  remarkable  preci- 
sion and  lack  of  confusion  that  attends  every 
important  drill  and  exercise.  At  no  time  is 
this  more  evident  than  when  "General  Quar- 
ters" are  sounded, — that  drill  which  above  all 
others  is  the  most  important  held  on  board 
ship,  for  it  involves  all  the  final  preparations 
for  battle.  The  vessel  was  cleared  as  for 
action.  All  the  batteries  were  manned,  ammu- 
nition hoists  began  to  rumble  as  they  brought 
up  charge  after  charge  for  the  guns,  and 
before  long  the  pieces  were  being  trained  on 
some  distant  object,  loaded  and  ready  for  the 
word  of  command.  Everything  was  done  as 
if  an  enemy  were  actually  coming  within  range. 

Then  in  the  afternoon  we  coaled  ship  quite 
unexpectedly.  Orders  had  been  received  to  do 
so  on  the  morrow,  but  the  surprise  was  sprung 


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A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  27 

on  us  instead  at  four  p.m.,  and  coal  we  did 
until  long  after  supper.  It  certainly  was  a 
dirty  piece  of  work,  but  the  men  did  not  seem 
to  consider  it  so.  Every  officer  and  man  did 
his  share  of  the  work,  and  more  besides.  It 
was  a  question  which  division  would  get  the 
most  coal  aboard,  and  the  rivalry  to  be  the 
best  was  keen  indeed  and  a  pleasure  to  behold. 
About  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons  were  taken 
on  in  a  little  over  two  hours, — which  was  poor 
time  indeed  when  compared  to  previous  rec- 
ords. But  then  it  was  difficult  to  make  speed 
with  such  an  old  collier  as  the  Hannibal^  which 
had  been  inflicted  upon  us,  a  relic  of  the  last 
war  and  not  adapted  to  present-day  records. 
"Wait  until  we  get  one  of  those  new  colliers, 
then  you'll  see  what  we  can  do !"  So  they  said. 

FRIDAY,,  JANUARY  14TH. 

The  crew  were  up  till  after  midnight  clean- 
ing the  ship  after  yesterday's  profanation,  and 
washing  themselves  and  their  clothes,  and  to- 
day they  are  still  at  the  same  task.  As  all  the 
regular  routine  is  suspended  during  and  after 
coaling,  there  was  nothing  to  do  or  see  on  ship- 
board, so  I  went  ashore  to  seek  what  diversion 
I  could  on  the  "beach."  But  I  went  alone, 
and  after  wandering  about  disconsolately  for 


28  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

the  good  part  of  an  hour,  I  was  only  too  glad 
to  be  able  to  return  once  more  to  my  "home" 
and  escape  a  drenching  shower  that  had  been 
gathering  in  the  west. 

SATURDAY,  JANUARY  15TH. 

The  "Lucky  Bag,"  and  then  began  the  fun. 
For  weeks  the  watchful  eye  of  the  Master-at- 
Arms,  the  ship's  chief-of-police,  had  been  at 
work  seeking  "articles  adrift,"  as  he  called 
them,  and  now  all  the  contents  were  to  be  sold 
at  auction  to  the  highest  bidder.  For  extreme 
tidiness  is  a  pronounced  characteristic  in  Uncle 
Sam's  Navy.  "A  place  for  everything  and 
everything  in  its  place,"  is  the  way  they  put 
it,  and  woe  to  the  forgetful  or  careless  blue- 
jacket who  leaves  anything  belonging  to  him 
where  it  ought  not  to  be.  Into  the  lucky  bag 
it  goes,  and  to  redeem  it  the  culprit  must  either 
acknowledge  his  ownership  at  once  and  incur 
a  light  fine  for  his  offense,  or  else  await  the 
quarterly  sale  and  then  hope  to  be  able  to  bid 
high  enough  to  get  his  own  once  more.  It  is  a 
time-honored  institution,  as  old  as  the  navy 
itself,  and  indeed  one  of  the  most  effective 
ways  ever  devised  of  maintaining  that  state  of 
order  which  has  come  to  be  a  by-word  in  the 
service. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  29 

SUNDAY,  JANUARY  16TH. 

Beware  of  the  Siren !  That  is  indeed  good  ad- 
vice, but  who  would  ever  have  imagined  those 
bleak,  low  lying  hills  about  Guantanamo  Bay 
to  have  possessed  the  charm  of  luring  unsus- 
pecting admirers  of  nature?  On  the  chart 
which  we  had  been  studying  all  week  they 
appeared  innocent  enough,  and  when  we  had 
talked  the  matter  over  we  felt  sure  that  we 
knew  the  lay  of  the  land  by  heart,  and  that  the 
"hike"  which  we  had  promised  ourselves  would 
be  but  a  short  jaunt,  lasting  at  most  a  few 
hours.  At  least  that  is  the  way  we  had  figured 
it  out  beforehand. 

We  had  proposed  going  over  the  trail  from 
Fisherman's  Point  to  the  target  range,  but  as 
we  could  get  no  steamer  to  land  us  at  the  first 
place,  we  concluded  to  "bear  up"  and  make  our 
expedition  backwards  from  the  range  to  the 
point.  That  was  easy  enough,  we  thought,  as 
we  simply  had  to  follow  the  trail  from  east  to 
west  instead  of  from  west  to  east.  We  started 
in  the  best  of  spirits,  leaving  the  ship  soon 
after  dinner,  with  our  canteens  full  of  fresh 
water  and  a  supply  of  sandwiches  which  some- 
one had  thrust  into  our  hands  at  the  last 
moment.  Little  did  we  dream  that  we  would 


30  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

ever  actually  want  them.  The  ascent  began 
shortly  after  we  left  the  range,  where  small 
hillocks  led  up  gradually  to  the  higher  hills. 
We  started  out  at  a  bold  pace,  following  the 
trail,  which  ran  along  an  old  army  telegraph 
line.  Up  and  down  we  went,  leaving  behind 
us  several  hillocks,  which  I  must  say  were 
rather  hard  climbing  in  spite  of  their  low  alti- 
tude. But  it  was  nothing  to  what  was  in  store 
for  us  later.  The  beginning  of  our  walk  was 
hot  and  difficult,  but  by  three  o'clock  the  heat 
was  intense.  We  were  screened  by  the  very 
hills  we  were  climbing  from  the  refreshing 
trade  wind  that  never  fails,  and  as  there  was 
no  shade  we  toiled  in  the  broiling  sun.  We 
soon  realized  that  we  were  not  on  the  right 
track.  The  old  telegraph  line  was  still  leading 
us  on,  but  the  trail  certainly  was  no  longer 
there.  How  long  before  we  had  missed  it  we 
knew  not.  At  any  rate,  there  was  little  ques- 
tion as  to  what  we  should  do.  But  one  of  my 
companions  spied  a  small  mountain  right 
ahead,  higher  than  the  rest,  which  he  "knew" 
was  where  we  wanted  to  go  and  where  he 
assured  us  we  would  be  rewarded  by  the  most 
beautiful  panorama  mortal  ever  saw  in  these 
regions.  Unfortunately  we  took  him  at  his 
word,  and  began  that  awful  climb.  The  tall 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  31 

grass  completely  hid  us  from  view  and  from 
each  other  as  we  struggled  on.  But  that  was 
nothing  compared  to  the  cactus,  of  whose  con- 
cealed presence  we  were  aware  only  after  we 
had  come  into  personal  contact  with  it.  How 
far  we  walked  I  know  not.  In  "mountain 
travel"  distances  are  never  calculated  in  miles. 
Hours  are  the  standard,  and  when  we  con- 
sulted our  watches  we  found  that  the  after- 
noon was  well  advanced.  But  I  will  say  this 
much  for  my  friend,  though  I  must  say  that 
many  times  during  that  walk  I  considered 
him  anything  but  a  friend,  that  the  view  which 
rewarded  our  efforts  when  we  finally  did  reach 
the  top  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  that  I 
have  ever  seen.  In  the  distance  were  the 
mountains  that  on  every  side  surround  the 
land-locked  bay,  while  in  the  foreground  lay 
that  sheet  of  water  with  its  fleet  of  fighting 
ships;  then  there  was  the  naval  station,  the 
target  range,  the  hills  we  had  just  left, 
and  inlets  and  peninsulas  innumerable, — all 
stretched  out  below  us  in  an  imposing  pano- 
rama. Facing  the  ocean  we  could  see  an  invit- 
ing cove,  where  lay  a  sandy  beach  surrounded 
by  precipitous  cliffs.  How  cool  that  water 
looked.  Oh,  how  we  longed  for  a  dip  in  that 
refreshing  surf.  The  temptation  proved  irre- 


32  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

sistible.  In  a  moment  we  were  heading  in  the 
direction  of  that  roaring  surf,  and  once  more 
plunged  into  the  jungle  with  its  maze  of 
cactus.  At  last  we  found  it,  had  our  dip,  ate 
our  sandwiches,  which  we  appreciated  more 
than  I  could  say,  and  then  started  for  home. 
Of  the  return  voyage,  the  less  said  the  better. 
It  was  a  repetition  of  what  we  had  been 
through  on  the  outward  passage,  only  our 
imaginations  made  it  worse.  And  when  we 
finally  reached  the  boat  landing,  hungry  and 
tired  after  our  prolonged  expedition,  we  had 
only  one  thought, — that  of  leaving  all  future 
expeditions  for  others  to  indulge  in. 

MONDAY,  JANUARY  17TH. 

To-day  the  First  Division  held  its  Stand- 
ardization Trials.  We  steamed  out  of  the 
harbor  at  6 :  30  with  the  Connecticut  and  Ver- 
mont. The  trials  were  held  over  a  measured 
course  off  the  coast,  which  the  ships  covered 
at  various  speeds,  and  three  times  for  each 
speed  in  order  to  correct  any  errors  due  to 
tide  and  wind.  On  each  run  the  time  con- 
sumed, the  number  of  revolutions  of  the 
screws,  and  the  horse-power  developed  were 
noted,  and  the  results,  when  worked  out, 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  33 

showed  how  many  revolutions  were  needed 
for  each  speed.  For  example,  when  the  fleet 
is  steaming  together,  if  the  flagship  signals  to 
the  fleet  that  the  ships  are  to  steam  18  knots, 
the  officers  on  the  Kansas  know  that  to  make 
this  speed  the  engines  must  drive  the  screws 
at  121  revolutions  per  minute.  This  is  the 
result  reached  in  the  Standardization  Trials, 
and  makes  the  officers  familiar  with  the  steam- 
ing capabilities  of  their  ships.  The  tests  were 
made  at  full  speed,  18,  17,  16,  15,  14,  12,  10 
and  8  knots.  The  highest  speed  attained  by 
this  ship  to-day  was  18.54  knots,  or  .45  faster 
than  she  made  on  her  trial  trip  in  1907  (18.09 
knots) ,  which  speaks  volumes  for  the  efficiency 
of  the  engineer  force  and  the  care  with  which 
the  engines  have  been  looked  after.  The 
trials  lasted  from  6 :  30  a.m.  until  3 : 30  p.m. 
Everyone  on  board,  from  the  Captain  on  the 
bridge  to  the  firemen  in  the  fire-room,  showed 
the  greatest  interest  in  every  detail. 

The  necessity  of  holding  the  steaming  trials 
becomes  evident  when  the  ships  cruise  in 
squadrons  or  fleets.  Distances  between  them 
must  be  kept  fairly  well,  otherwise  comes  a 
reprimand  from  the  Admiral,  or,  in  case  of 
carelessness,  a  collision.  When  you  consider 
that  each  ship,  displacing  from  14,000  to 


34  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

20,000  tons,  has  to  maintain  a  uniform  rate 
of  speed  (say  12  knots),  and  keep  her  ram 
within  250  yards  of  the  stern  of  the  ship  next 
ahead,  that  some  of  the  ships  move  a  little 
faster  than  others,  or  that  both  propellers  may 
not  accomplish  the  same  amount  of  work,  then 
you  can  realize  how  important  it  is  to  know 
your  ship.  If  you  have  not  standardized  you 
will  have  to  guess  at  the  number  of  revolu- 
tions (say  63  for  10  knots),  which  may  be  too 
much  or  too  little,  and  then  comes  trouble. 

Suddenly,  at  the  close  of  the  trials,  the  flag- 
ship displayed  the  signal  of  "man-overboard." 
Before  I  had  a  chance  to  come  up  on  deck  (I 
was  below  at  the  moment),  boats  had  been 
manned  from  the  Vermont,  Connecticut  and 
this  ship.  Everyone  was  on  the  lookout  for 
the  man  who  had  so  carelessly  fallen  over- 
board; but  the  "man"  proved  to  be  only  a 
buoy  which  had  been  dropped  from  the  flag- 
ship. It  was  meant  only  as  a  practice  drill, 
yet  it  turned  out  to  be  a  real  one,  for  the 
Vermont's  port  boat,  on  the  weather  side,  was 
swamped  in  lowering  and  all  but  five  of  the 
crew  thrown  into  the  water.  It  was  exciting 
for  a  moment,  but  in  a  few  minutes  the  boat 
was  safely  hoisted  in  and  the  men  got  aboard 
none  the  worse  for  their  unexpected  ducking. 


A   BIllD'S-EYE    VIEW 
OF   THE  KANSAS, 
FROM    THE   FORETOr 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  35 

TUESDAY,  JANUARY  18TH. 

Mail  day  at  last, — and  with  it  the  first  news 
since  we  left  home.  If  you  have  not  actually 
witnessed  this  occasion  you  cannot  really 
appreciate  what  it  means  on  a  warship.  The 
whole  ship's  company  had  been  talking  of  it 
for  a  week.  Would  we  get  mail  Tuesday  or 
Wednesday?  How  recent  the  news?  And 
this  morning  our  surmises  were  quieted  by  a 
signal  from  the  flagship  that  the  mail  would 
arrive  at  noon.  Every  ship  had  a  steamer 
alongside  the  Panther  to  get  their  share  of  the 
eighty  bags  that  had  come,  and  then  these 
raced  back  to  their  ships  as  fast  as  their  little 
engines  could  push  them.  Everyone  that  got 
a  letter,  if  only  a  bill,  was  happy,  but  the 
unlucky  ones — well,  let's  forget  them. 

Very  little  took  place  to-day,  except  the 
actual  regular  routine  and  drills.  But  these 
are  daily  occurrences,  of  great  importance  to 
the  health  and  efficiency  of  the  crews.  At 
those  times,  between  the  hours  of  9 :  30  and 
11:30,  and  again  from  1:30  to  2:30  in  the 
afternoon,  everybody  works,  and  there  is  no 
leisure  for  impressions  except  for  the  idlers — 
the  Surgeon,  Paymaster,  and  Chaplain.  And  I 
might  as  a  matter  of  fact  add  myself  to  that 


86  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

select  number,  for  I,  too,  am  practically  ostra- 
cized during  those  hours  of  work  and  obliged 
to  confine  myself  to  my  own  meditations. 
There  is  no  place  on  deck  to  sit,  the  novelty  of 
looking  on  at  setting  up  exercise  wears  off  to 
some  extent  as  the  same  thing  is  gone  through 
week  after  week.  I  cannot  go  up  to  the  Cap- 
tain to  chat  with  him  whenever  I  see  him;  I 
cannot  address  the  officers  when  they  are  drill- 
ing with  their  divisions,  and  still  less  ask  ques- 
tions of  the  men  on  the  bridge  when  they  are 
watching  the  other  ships  for  signals.  This 
work,  practiced  daily,  is  what  keeps  the  men 
in  such  splendid  condition  and  makes  the  ships 
the  efficient  fighting  machines  that  they  really 
are,  and,  consequently,  when  the  drills  are 
being  held  outsiders  are  requested  to  keep  out 
of  the  way. 

But  though  cruising  on  a  man-o'-war  may 
have  its  drawbacks,  it  surely  has  advantages 
that  more  than  compensate  for  the  trifling 
inconveniences  you  may  be  put  to.  For  the 
seeker  after  knowledge,  the  ship's  library  is 
as  complete  in  every  detail  as  could  be 
demanded;  reading  matter  of  every  descrip- 
tion is  at  your  disposal  for  the  asking;  then 
there  are  the  comfortable  chairs  in  the  ward- 
room, as  genial  a  set  of  companions — a  thou- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  37 

sand  of  them — about  as  could  be  found  any- 
where, and  innumerable  diversions  which  cause 
the  hours  to  glide  by  unnoticed.  The  band 
plays  three  times  a  day,  the  piano  or  Victrola 
in  the  wardroom,  steerage,  or  in  the  men's 
quarters  may  be  called  upon  for  entertain- 
ment at  any  time  of  day  when  drills  or  other 
duties  are  not  interfered  with,  or  an  occasional 
game  of  cards  may  be  indulged  in.  Then 
there  are  the  mascots, — dogs  and  cats  and  what 
not, — to  make  friends  with,  while  the  men  are 
ever  ready,  when  the  smoking  lamp  is  lighted, 
to  add  to  your  pleasure  and  entertainment 
with  yarns  innumerable  of  the  four  seas.  So 
there  is  some  play  after  all  in  this  busy  life 
on  board  a  man-o'-war. 

The  list  of  duties  which  fill  the  ship's  routine 
would  fill  a  page.  Something  is  going  on 
every  half  hour  of  the  day  from  5  a.m.  till 
9  p.m.,  and  every  drill  and  order  is  made  known 
to  the  crew  by  bugle  calls.  Bugles  are  ever- 
lastingly blown,  many  at  the  same  time;  of 
course  they  are  all  sounding  the  same  call, 
but  not  in  the  same  time  or  in  the  same  key. 
The  result  is  especially  offensive.  One  bugler 
will  sound  some  jumble  of  notes,  another 
below  decks  will  take  up  the  refrain  with  varia- 
tions of  his  own,  of  course,  and  two  or  three 


38  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

others  try  to  copy  the  first  two  for  a  while 
longer.  Then  every  man,  in  many  cases  hav- 
ing no  ear  for  music,  runs  to  his  proper  post 
and  does  what  he  is  supposed  to  do.  How 
they  differentiate  between  the  101  calls  that 
are  heard  at  one  time  or  another  is  astonishing. 
I  tried  to  master  them,  finally  learned  one  or 
two  and  then  gave  it  up,  until  someone  taught 
me  the  trick  of  getting  hold  of  the  refrain 
associated  with  each  one.  Then  it  was  plain 
sailing.  For  instance,  at  the  "sick  bay  call" 
I  say  to  myself: 

"Come  and  get  your  quinine,  quinine," 

and  instinctively  make  for  the  sick  bay  under 
the  impression  that  I  am  ill.  Or  the  officers' 
call: 

"Get  your  sword  on, 
Get  your  sword  on," 

and  the  mess  call: 

"Soupy,  soupy,  soup, 
Without  a  single  bean, 
Porky,  porky,  pork, 
Without  a  streak  of  lean, 
Coffee,  coffee,  cofF, 
The  worst  'twas  ever  seen." 

The  way  the  men  rush  to  the  side  when  the 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  39 

swimming    call    sounds    makes    you    sing    to 
yourself: 

"Bought  a  chicken  for  fifty  cents, 
The  son  of  a  gun  jumped  over  the  fence," 

and  over  you  go. 

But  nothing  could  be  more  appropriate  than 
the  closing  ceremonies  of  the  day,  when,  after 
tattoo  has  sounded,  taps  comes,  and  you  are 
lulled  to  sleep  to  the  music  of  that  beautiful 
melody, 

"Go  to  sleep,  go  to  sleep,  go  to  sleep !" 

Speaking  of  rivalry  between  ships  at  speed 
trials  and  target  practice,  you  little  realize 
how  keenly  interested  all  are  even  in  all  small 
matters.  So  far  the  competition  has  been 
restricted  to  proper  distances,  making  turns 
accurately,  making  and  answering  signals. 
Every  morning  at  10  o'clock,  the  flags  hoisted 
on  each  ship  tell  the  number  of  sick  and 
absentees,  and  at  noon  they  give  you  the  posi- 
tion of  the  ship  and  the  amount  of  coal  con- 
sumed in  the  last  twenty-four  hours.  Every- 
one is  on  the  lookout  for  such  signals,  and 
immediately  does  the  news  spread  when  your 
ship  has  beaten  her  consorts. 

So  the  routine  goes  on,  and  even  I  have 
somewhat  become  a  part  of  it.  At  certain 


40  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

times  I  am  expected  to  fall  in  at  a  designated 
station,  and  have  a  place  where  I  must  report 
when  the  Abandon- Ship  drill  or  the  general 
quarters  are  held.  Otherwise  I  am  pretty  free 
to  do  much  as  I  please. 

Everyone  on  board  has  his  own  particular 
place.  The  Captain  owns  the  starboard  side 
of  the  quarter-deck,  where  none  dare  go  unless 
he  indicates  that  he  would  like  to  have  some- 
one join  him.  The  port  side  belongs  to  the 
other  officers, — and  the  Captain  never  goes 
there,  although,  being  the  Captain,  he  has  a 
right  to  go  where  he  pleases.  The  Captain 
has  his  own  particular  hatchway  to  come  up 
on  deck  or  go  below,  the  wardroom  officers 
theirs,  and  the  junior  officers  theirs.  One  day, 
while  still  an  ignoramus,  I  started  down  the 
Captain's  hatchway;  half  way  down  I  met 
him  coming  up,  so  I  "backwatered"  and 
waited  on  deck.  When  he  came  up,  he  looked 
up  rather  surprised  and  said,  "Oh,  I  beg  your 
pardon,  I  did  not  see  you,"  as  if  he  meant, 
"Well,  don't  you  know  any  better?"  At  any 
rate,  I  never  forgot  that  lesson. 

FRIDAY,  JANUARY  21sx. 

To-day  all  the  ships  of  this  class  held  their 
four-hour  Full  Power  Trials  under  forced 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  41 

draft.  The  Connecticut,  followed  by  the  Ver- 
mont, Kansas,  Minnesota  and  New  Hamp- 
shire, left  the  bay  at  6  a.m.  for  the  eighty-mile 
race  which  was  to  determine  which  of  them  was 
to  have  the  glory  of  being  reputed  the  fastest. 
The  ships  lined  up  ready  for  a  racing  start. 
The  signals  from  the  flagship  ordered  16 
knots,  then  17  knots,  then  18,  and  then  "all 
you  can."  With  clouds  of  smoke  pouring 
from  all  their  funnels  and  huge  white  masses 
of  foam  at  the  bows,  the  ships  went  at  it  in 
real  earnest.  The  line  wavered  as  first  one, 
then  another  ship  led.  After  an  hour  the 
Vermont  gradually  dropped  astern  owing  to 
the  failure  of  her  boiler  feed  pumps,  but  the 
others  kept  on  even  terms  for  over  three  hours. 
On  they  sped!  At  9:30  we  were  off  Santiago 
harbor  and  a  short  while  later  opposite  wrecks 
of  the  Spanish  fleet.  About  this  time  the 
Connecticut  forged  ahead,  while  the  Kansas 
left  the  New  Hampshire  behind.  Even  at  the 
end  of  the  race  it  was  a  question  as  to  who  had 
actually  won, — but  the  final  returns  showed 
that  the  Connecticut  had  outdistanced  us,  while 
we  were  200  yards  ahead  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire. Exciting!  To  appreciate  fully  what  it 
meant  you  had  to  be  there.  Everyone  not 
occupied  elsewhere  was  on  the  quarter-deck,  in 


42  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

spite  of  the  smoke  and  cinders,  to  watch  this 
trial  of  speed  and  endurance.  And  to  those 
whom  duty  kept  below  word  was  continually 
sent  regarding  the  position  of  the  ships.  }t 
was  on  them  that  all  depended,  and  heroically 
did  they  do  their  part  that  day.  In  the  engine 
room, — a  modern  inferno, — oil-bespattered 
men,  stripped  to  the  waist,  moved  about  silently 
amidst  the  great  piston  rods  and  crankpins, 
revolving  at  the  rate  of  125  turns  per  minute, 
alert  and  awake  to  every  sound  of  the  engines, 
while  in  the  fire  rooms  the  men  toiled  untir- 
ingly, shovelling  coal  and  working  with 
renewed  enthusiasm  whenever  an  encouraging 
bit  of  news  came  down  from  the  bridge. 

Figures  mean  very  little,  but  those  which  we 
had  before  us  at  the  end  of  the  day's  work 
spelled  the  history  of  years  of  continuous 
watchfulness  and  care.  That  three  ships 
should,  after  three  years'  continuous  hard 
service,  including  the  trip  around  the  world, 
exceed  their  original  builders'  trial  speeds  by 
almost  a  whole  knot,  is  a  record  never  before 
chronicled. 

Of  course  we  celebrated  that  event  with  due 
ceremony  that  evening.  Champagne  for  the 
first  time  this  cruise, — on  the  Engineer  natur- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  43 

ally, — good  cigars,  a  delicious  dinner,  songs 
a-plenty,  and  the  Victrola.  We  were  a  happy 
crowd. 

SATURDAY,,  JANUARY  22ND. 

We  had  showers,  quite  heavy  at  times,  all 
day,  so  all  parties  for  shore  were  discouraged 
from  trying  to  "hit  the  beach."  Saturday 
being  a  half-holiday  on  board  ship,  nothing 
occurred  out  of  the  ordinary.  In  the  evening, 
however,  we  had  a  treat.  A  large  raised 
platform  was  rigged  up  under  the  awning 
on  the  quarter-deck,  and  here  after  supper 
we  enjoyed  a  number  of  good  boxing  bouts 
which  the  men  had  arranged  for  the  general 
entertainment.  The  entire  crew  and  all  the 
officers  were  grouped  on  deck,  in  the  mast, 
and  on  the  turrets,  to  see  it.  It  was  not  high- 
class  boxing  in  every  case,  but  there  was  no 
fake  about  it.  The  men  went  at  each  other  in 
dead  earnest, — and  fun !  we  had  the  time  of  our 
lives.  The  greatest  enthusiasm  prevailed. 
People  may  cry  against  boxing  in  the  Navy. 
But  these  bouts,  with  well-padded  gloves,  were 
all  for  sport,  there  was  no  money  in  it,  and 
you  could  not  imagine  a  cleaner  form  of 
amusement  for  all  concerned. 


44  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

SUNDAY,  JANUARY  23RD. 

Guantanamo  Bay,  some  six  miles  inland 
from  its  entrance,  narrows  down  to  a  small 
channel  of  moderate  depth  before  it  once  more 
spreads  out  in  an  enormous  expanse  of  water, 
which  usually  passes  under  the  picturesque 
name  of  Joa  Bay.  Here  it  is  that  the  visitor 
may  see  the  ruins  of  an  old  Spanish  fort,  con- 
structed years  before  on  Toro  Cay  to  guard 
this  inner  harbor  against  the  intrusion  of  a 
hostile  force.  During  the  late  war  it  figured 
somewhat  prominently  as  the  scene  of  a  bom- 
bardment by  some  American  ships-of-war. 
But  its  chief  claim  to  fame  lies  in  the  fact  that 
long  ago,  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  it  was  made  use  of  by  the  British  fleet 
under  Admiral  Vernon  as  a  base  of  supplies 
during  its  operations  against  Havana, — which 
shows  that  even  in  the  days  of  old  the  advan- 
tages and  strategic  location  of  this  admirable 
bay  were  fully  appreciated. 

The  country  all  around  is  generally  flat  and 
swampy,  but  uninhabited  except  in  two  places, 
where  docks  have  been  erected  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  few  steamers  that  ply  between 
this  and  other  ports  of  call  on  the  coast,  and 
groups  of  hamlets  have  sprung  up,  to  which 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  45 

the  names  of  Caimanera  and  Boqueron  have 
been  given.  Until  I  saw  Caimanera  on  the 
chart  as  the  nearest  settlement  I  had  never 
heard  of  it,  and  I  must  say  that  I  was  amazed 
to  find  what  a  bustling  terminal  it  was, — 
whenever  a  ship  tied  up  to  the  dock. 

It  was  eight  o'clock  when  we  came  along- 
side the  landing,  having  made  the  trip  up  the 
bay  in  one  of  the  ship's  steamers.  Our  destina- 
tion was  Guantanamo  City,  which  the  chart 
locates  some  seventeen  miles  inland  on  the 
single  track  railway  which  runs  from  Caima- 
nera. We  were  still  early,  for  the  train,  as 
usual,  had  not  yet  come  in,  and  the  few  inhabi- 
tants that  were  stirring  could  give  us  no  infor- 
mation as  to  the  probable  time  of  its  departure. 
At  least,  that  was  what  we  gathered  from  the 
Navigator,  who  was  the  only  one  of  the  party 
who  knew  any  Spanish  and  had  therefore 
assumed  the  responsibility  of  personally  con- 
ducting the  expedition.  And  it  was  fortunate 
that  he  did,  for  otherwise  we  should  never  have 
known  that  that  morning  the  train  for  Guan- 
tanamo did  not  start  from  the  regular  station 
but  from  some  temporary  structure  some  dis- 
tance inland.  This  we  finally  found,  by  dint 
of  judicious  questioning,  and  before  long  were 
on  our  way  to  the  metropolis  of  which  we  had 


46  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

heard  so  much.  It  takes  thirty  minutes, 
schedule  but  not  actual  time,  to  cover  the 
seventeen  miles  between  these  two  points,  at 
a  fare  of  seventy-five  cents  for  the  round  trip. 
We  were  interested  to  note  that  all  the  rolling 
stock  of  this  railway  was  of  American  manu- 
facture, some  of  the  locomotives  being  acquired 
as  recently  as  1905,  but  the  cars  were  old  and 
dilapidated,  and  the  roadbed  shaky,  to  say  the 
least.  The  system  apparently  suffered  greatly 
during  the  insurrections  which  at  one  time 
were  so  frequent  on  the  island,  for  there  are 
evidences  everywhere  of  wanton  destruction 
and  resulting  neglect. 

Guantanamo  is  a  decided  disappointment. 
We  had  heard  much  of  what  a  large  "city"  it 
was,  with  its  25,000  inhabitants.  But  its 
size,  we  thought,  had  been  greatly  exag- 
gerated, for  the  place  did  not  seem  large 
enough  to  accommodate  half  that  number,  and 
besides  we  "saw"  it  all  in  less  than  a  few  hours. 
The  streets  are  unpaved  and  never  swept  or 
cleaned,  the  sidewalks  very  high  above  the 
level  of  the  street  and  narrow.  The  houses 
are,  as  a  general  rule,  but  one  story  high,  built 
of  wood,  and  painted  in  vivid  shades  of  light 
blue,  pink,  yellow,  and  lavender.  The  major- 
ity of  them  have  tin  roofs,  but  now  tiles  are 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  47 

becoming  the  fashion.  But  what  impresses 
the  visitor  is  that  the  houses  apparently  are 
never  closed;  the  windows  are  left  wide  open, 
and  as  you  pass  along  the  street  you  can  hear 
the  chatter  of  voices,  or  the  music  of  a  guitar 
and  catch  glimpses  of  the  barren  and  ill-fur- 
nished rooms. 

Guantanamo  is  an  easy  town  to  go  about  in, 
so  we  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  our  way  to 
the  Plaza,  which,  with  its  church,  bandstand, 
promenades  and  rows  of  benches,  occupies  a 
prominent  place  not  far  from  the  station. 
Here  it  is  that  the  people  congregate  in  the 
evening,  during  the  cool  of  the  day,  and  on 
Sundays,  after  dinner,  listen  to  the  music. 
But  at  the  hour  of  our  visit,  the  streets  were 
deserted,  and  it  was  difficult  to  discover  anyone 
in  the  act  of  doing  anything  in  particular.  A 
cemetery  not  far  off  attracted  our  attention, 
and  it  proved  to  be  a  landmark  of  no  little 
interest.  In  fact,  it  was  the  only  thing  worth 
while  which  we  discovered  the  entire  day. 
Monuments,  vaults,  and  tombs  innumerable 
covered  the  enclosed  space.  Some  dated  back 
to  the  earliest  years  of  the  Spanish  occupation, 
while  many  more  were  of  real  architectural 
beauty,  but  all  showed  plainly  the  ravages  of 


48  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

time  and  gave  evidence  of  the  terror  that  in 
the  last  century  existed  in  the  island. 

At  one  we  met  in  the  Hotel  Venus,  another 
prominent  landmark,  and  enjoyed  a  refresh- 
ing and  excellent  meal,  which  was  served  for 
the  moderate  price  of  one  dollar.  Then  we 
whiled  away  the  time  as  best  we  could,  and 
about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  boarded  for 
the  return  trip,  the  same  train  which  had 
brought  us  up  in  the  morning. 

MONDAY,  JANUARY  24TH. 

Seamanship  exercises  were  the  order  of  the 
day.  Everywhere  about  the  decks  the  men 
were  formed  in  groups  receiving  instruction  in 
that  all-important  branch  of  their  profession. 
The  day  was  a  busy  one.  But  in  the  after- 
noon we  had  a  thrill  of  excitement  not  adver- 
tised beforehand,  which  for  a  time  had  us  all 
thoroughly  aroused.  It  was  nothing  less  than 
an  anchor  drill,  during  which  a  division 
manned  one  of  the  sailing  launches  and  took 
out  a  five-thousand  pound  anchor,  which  had 
been  lowered  into  it  by  means  of  the  crane. 
The  exercise  consisted  in  taking  it  out  about 
a  hundred  yards  from  the  ship,  dropping  it 
overboard,  and  then  getting  it  up  again.  Of 
course  it  was  easy  enough  to  let  it  go,  but 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  49 

getting  it  up  was  another  matter.  Every 
means  known  to  seamanship  was  tried,  but 
to  no  avail.  The  anchor  refused  to  budge. 
First  they  tried  to  haul  it  up  over  the  stern  of 
the  launch,  but  that  was  smashed  and  the  boat 
in  danger  of  sinking;  then  an  attempt  was 
made  to  hoist  it  up  through  a  well  in  the  boat's 
bottom,  but  this  proved  futile,  as  the  water 
came  up  over  the  top  of  the  well  and  the  launch 
filled  with  water.  Finally,  as  a  last  resort,  the 
hawser  was  passed  up  to  the  ship's  deck  and  a 
winch  was  pressed  into  service  to  bring  our 
stubborn  customer  to  terms,  but  the  cable  only 
parted,  and  now  our  anchor  rests  on  the  bot- 
tom. A  buoy  marks  its  approximate  resting 
place,  and  we  can  only  hope  that  it  is  not 
buried  in  futuram  oblivionem. 

TUESDAY,,  JANUARY  25TH. 

Last  night  about  half  past  ten,  when  the 
crew  were  asleep  and  I  was  about  to  turn  in, 
the  call  to  Fire  Quarters  sounded.  I  had  just 
time  to  reach  the  quarter-deck,  to  find  the  men 
already  closing  hatches,  removing  ventilators, 
and  running  out  lines  of  hose.  How  they  did 
it  so  quickly,  I  know  not.  But  in  two  minutes 
and  forty- seven  seconds  after  the  alarm  had 
been  given  they  had  everything  ready,  and 


50  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

every  division  had  been  reported  to  the  Cap- 
tain. It  proved  to  be  only  a  drill,  however, 
and  many  a  curse  must  have  smitten  the  stars 
at  this  rude  interruption  of  sweet  dreams.  Yet 
such  tests  of  preparedness  are  of  prime  impor- 
tance at  sea,  and  it  is  only  by  holding  such 
tests  of  the  ship's  discipline  at  most  unexpected 
times  that  the  Captain  can  know  whether  his 
crew  is  ready  for  emergencies  or  not. 

Most  of  the  day  was  spent  searching  for 
our  lost  anchor.  Divers  were  sent  down,  and 
the  bottom  was  dragged,  but  for  a  long  time 
unsuccessfully.  The  soft  bottom  rendered  the 
work  of  the  divers  extremely  difficult;  they 
could  get  no  foothold,  and  it  was  only  for 
short  intervals  they  could  flounder  about  in 
the  slime  before  they  had  to  come  up  to  the 
surface  again  to  rest.  Perseverance,  however, 
won  the  day.  After  a  long  search  the  anchor 
was  at  last  located,  a  hawser  made  fast  to  the 
ring,  and  then  the  rest  was  easy  enough. 

WEDNESDAY,  JANUARY  26TH. 

Again  coaling  day,  with  about  twelve  hun- 
dred tons  to  take  aboard.  The  Hector,  one  of 
the  new  fleet  colliers  with  a  capacity  for  eight 
thousand  tons,  came  alongside  last  evening. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  51 

This  is  the  first  time  the  Kansas  has  coaled 
from  one  of  the  new  colliers, — and  the  speed 
with  which  coal  was  taken  aboard  was  conse- 
quently a  great  improvement  over  past  per- 
formances. Over  six  hundred  tons  were  taken 
on  during  the  first  three  hours,  starting  at  5 :30 
a.m.  Last  November  when  this  ship  coaled  at 
Hampton  Roads,  from  the  Marcellus,  one  of 
the  relics  of  the  Spanish  War,  it  took  fifteen 
hours  to  get  twelve  hundred  tons  on  board! 
With  the  Hector  this  amount  of  work  could 
be  accomplished  in  four  hours,  which  even  then 
is  not  a  record  when  we  consider  the  four  hun- 
dred tons  an  hour  that  some  ships  have  taken 
aboard. 

Well,  coaling  is  about  the  dirtiest,  if  not  the 
dirtiest  work  a  warship  can  do.  It  seems 
almost  a  profanation  of  the  exemplary  neat- 
ness of  the  man-o'-war.  Nevertheless,  it  is  a 
job  that  is  almost  invariably  performed  with 
expedition  and  "neatness."  When  the  collier 
comes  alongside,  everything  is  ready  for  the 
fray.  Tackle  and  coal  bags  (capable  of  hold- 
ing 800  pounds  of  coal),  shovels,  running 
trucks,  etc.,  are  brought  up  on  the  deck.  Sec- 
tions of  men  from  each  division  are  sent  down 
into  the  collier's  hold.  (All  the  work  of 
coaling  is  done  by  the  warship's  crew;  the 


52  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

collier  men  lounge  about,  smoke,  and  watch 
the  other  fellows  work. )  Every  opening,  port, 
hatch,  ventilator,  has  meanwhile  been  tightly 
closed  and  covered,  that  as  little  dust  as  possi- 
ble may  enter  places  other  than  the  bunkers. 
Chutes  to  the  latter  are  rigged  up  from  the 
upper  deck  down  through  the  main  and  berth 
decks.  The  marines,  stewards  and  messmen 
are  on  turrets,  decks,  and  at  the  chute  openings 
to  keep  the  ball  rolling,  while  in  the  coal 
bunkers  the  engineer  force  are  at  work  stow- 
ing away  the  coal  evenly  and  smoothly. 

The  bags  of  coal  are  filled  in  the  collier's 
hold,  attached  to  the  whips,  and  swung  up  on 
the  deck,  where  waiting  hands  grab  them,  and 
place  them  on  running  trucks  to  be  carted 
across  the  deck  or  dumped  down  the  chutes  on 
this  side.  Every  man  goes  at  the  work  cheer- 
fully and  in  a  happy  mood.  The  work  is  no 
bugbear.  Far  from  it.  The  clothes  worn  by 
some  of  the  men  would  lead  you  to  believe  a 
fancy  dress  party  was  on.  The  band  plays 
gay  marches  and  popular  songs  in  the  fore- 
mast, giving  the  whole  a  most  cheerful  atmos- 
phere. Meanwhile  the  men  go  at  it  with  a 
vim,  black  from  head  to  foot,  playing  like 
children  in  snow  piles, — excepting  that  the 
piles  are  black  instead  of  white. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  53 

After  the  coaling  is  over,  the  gear  is  first 
stowed  away;  then  the  dirt  cleared  away,  the 
men  wash  themselves  and  take  a  plunge  over 
the  side,  the  sides  and  decks  of  the  ship  are 
washed,  holystoned  and  sandstoned,  and  in  two 
or  three  hours  you  would  never  suspect  what 
had  been  going  on  not  long  before. 

THURSDAY,,  JANUARY  27TH. 

To-day  was  "field  day,"  which  means  clean- 
ing day;  the  usual  proceeding  after  coaling, 
and  what  an  awful  performance!  Some  think 
it  worse  than  coaling  itself.  You  cannot  go 
anywhere.  Water  streams  drench  you  wher- 
ever you  may  step,  everyone  is  washing  and 
cleaning,  the  decks  are  slimy  with  wet  sand 
and  ankle  deep  in  water,  while  below  all  is 
soaking;  the  rooms  are  being  scrubbed,  the 
wardroom  cleaned  out,  while  the  passageways 
get  their  share  of  attention.  Being  driven  out 
of  my  quarters,  I  first  sought  refuge  on  deck, 
but  in  a  short  time  found  myself  dodging 
streams  of  water;  so  I  went  up  on  the  bridge, 
thinking  that  that  at  least  would  be  a  dry  spot. 
But  it  was  the  worst  of  all.  As  a  last  resort  I 
sought  refuge  in  the  mast,  and  there  I  stayed 
for  at  least  an  hour  before  I  could  descend 
with  any  degree  of  safety. 


54  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

In  the  evening  a  party  from  this  ship  went 
to  an  Entertainment  and  Smoker  on  board  the 
Mississippi,  and  we  were  quite  surprised  to 
find  what  an  elaborate  performance  had  been 
prepared  for  us.  A  large  stage  had  been 
erected  on  the  after  part  of  the  quarter-deck, 
with  all  the  regulation  flies  and  wings  and 
upper  and  lower  entrances.  Even  the  drop- 
curtains  had  not  been  overlooked.  The  deck 
was  decorated  with  numerous  palms  and  green 
plants,  and  was  so  well  disguised  that  you 
could  easily  have  imagined  yourself  in  a  mod- 
ern theatre.  And  the  crowd!  Everyone  was 
there;  the  Admirals,  Captains,  Staff  Officers, 
and  delegations  of  men  from  each  of  the  bat- 
tleships. Several  thousand  must  have  been 
present.  The  officers  sat  in  front,  and  the  men 
behind,  on  the  turrets,  bridge,  superstructure, 
and  in  the  mast,  which  had  temporarily  taken 
the  place  of  "nigger  heaven."  The  boxing  was 
very  good,  especially  the  last  bout,  in  which 
the  contestants  were  the  two  best  lightweights 
in  the  fleet.  Then  followed  a  concert  by  the 
ship's  band,  that  was  a  credit  to  their  art,  and 
last  came  the  old-fashioned  minstrel  show,  with 
its  songs  and  dances,  and  jokes  and  sketches. 
Supper  between  the  two  halves  of  the  pro- 
gramme was  an  elaborate  affair, — everything 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  55 

in  the  way  of  "eats  and  drinks."  Each  mess 
had  its  own  supper;  the  wardroom  officers 
went  to  the  wardroom,  the  steerage  in  the 
steerage,  while  the  crew  had  an  elaborate 
spread  prepared  for  their  guests  forward  on 
the  berth-deck. 

FRIDAY,,  JANUARY  28TH. 

Our  peaceful  slumbers  were  rudely  inter- 
rupted at  an  early  hour  by  a  bugle  call  that 
sent  every  one  scurrying  up  on  deck.  It  was 
the  signal  to  abandon  ship.  Officers  and  men 
seemed  to  be  rushing  about,  and  the  greatest 
confusion  appeared  to  reign.  But  to  the 
trained  eye  it  was  only  an  orderly  confusion, 
for  each  man  was  doing  exactly  what  he  was 
supposed  to  do  and  no  one  was  in  anyone 
else's  way.  Some  were  bearing  water-casks, 
others  boxes  of  provisions,  while  a  great  num- 
ber brought  quantities  of  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion, which  they  placed  in  the  proper  place, 
and  then  again  disappeared  in  search  of  what 
else  it  was  their  duty  to  provide  for  that  partic- 
ular boat.  The  minute  I  reached  the  deck  I 
had  gone  forward  of  the  port  gangway,  where 
the  crew  of  the  second  cutter  were  assembling, 
for  that  was  the  boat  to  which  I  had  been 
assigned  for  such  an  emergency.  And  then, 


56  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

for  the  first  time,  I  fully  realized  how  I,  too, 
had  become  a  part  of  the  ship's  company,  and 
had  like  the  others  instinctively  sought  my 
station  without  any  "whys  and  wherefores." 
Then  at  the  command  all  the  boats  were  low- 
ered, shoved  off  from  the  ship's  side,  and 
rowed  to  some  distance  until  the  general  recall 
once  more  brought  them  alongside. 

SATURDAY,  JANUARY  29TH. 

There  are  many  beautiful  places  in  the 
world,  and  there  are  still  more  that  are  strange 
and  picturesque  to  the  foreigner  who  visits 
them  for  the  first  time,  but  few,  I  was  told, 
would  I  find  as  interesting  as  Santiago  de 
Cuba.  So  when  the  invitation  was  extended 
to  me  to  join  a  party  of  officers  on  a  short  trip 
to  that  city,  I  did  not  long  hesitate  to  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  of  seeing  that 
historic  spot. 

We  started  at  eight-thirty  in  the  morning  in 
a  pelting  rain  which  almost  dampened  my 
enthusiasm,  for  the  prospect  of  a  six-hour  trip 
on  a  small  navy  tug  in  such  weather  was  not 
especially  inviting.  But  the  Paymaster  only 
laughed  at  me  and  told  me  I  would  never 
be  a  real  sailor  if  I  minded  the  weather,  with 
the  result  that  when  the  good  old  Uncos  got 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  57 

under  way,  shortly  after  breakfast,  I  was  one 
of  the  jolly  party  of  twenty  that  had  embarked 
on  the  expedition.  We  huddled  ourselves  in 
the  small  chart  house  up  forward;  we  were  in 
crowded  quarters,  however,  and  it  was  only 
by  admitting  five  chairs  and  no  more  that  we 
all  were  able  to  find  shelter  from  the  wind  and 
rain. 

The  passage  down  the  bay  was  smooth 
enough, — it  never  is  anything  else, — but  once 
outside  we  pitched  and  rolled  as  if  it  was  a 
question  of  making  a  new  record.  The  worst 
of  it  was  that  we  had  the  sea  and  wind  astern; 
only  an  ordinary  ground- swell  and  gentle  trade 
wind.  But  as  the  wind  here  never  blows 
except  from  the  east,  we  had  forebodings 
regarding  our  return  trip  against  both  wind 
and  wave,  which  were  anything  but  pleasant. 
Six  mortal  hours  was  the  time  necessary  to 
get  us  there;  yet  the  distance  from  Guanta- 
namo  Bay  to  Santiago  is  only  forty  miles, — 
or  fifty-two  miles,  if  you  should  happen  to  ask 
the  same  question  of  two  people. 

For  the  first  quarter  of  the  distance,  the 
coast  line  is  low,  dull,  and  uninteresting,  but 
as  you  go  farther  westward  the  land  appears 
more  rugged,  the  promontories  become  more 
abrupt,  until  in  the  neighborhood  of  Daiquiri 


58  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

the  mountains  are  imposing  in  their  height. 
Turquino  to  the  westward  of  Santiago  rises 
eight  thousand  four  hundred  feet  out  of  the 
sea,  while  another  peak  to  the  eastward  is  over 
five  thousand  feet  in  height.  Yet  there  is  a 
barren  bleakness  about  them  which,  even  from 
a  distance,  gives  the  whole  a  dismal  setting. 

Daiquiri  is  sixteen  miles  east  of  Morro  Cas- 
tle, and  owes  its  prominence  in  history  to  the 
fact  that  it  was  the  point  where  most  of 
the  American  troops  under  General  Shafter 
landed  in  1898  for  their  operations  against 
Santiago.  Looking  from  the  sea  you  almost 
wonder  that  they  ever  attempted  a  landing 
there  at  all.  The  approach  to  Santiago 
appears  impossible.  But  they  say  that  once 
on  shore  trails  by  the  dozen  are  to  be  found 
that  will  lead  you  to  the  promised  land.  That 
may  be  so,  but  I  was  not  the  least  tempted 
to  verify  my  informant's  statements  after  my 
recent  experiences  on  Cuban  soil. 

Then  as  we  sped  on,  at  the  remarkable  speed 
of  eight  knots,  we  sighted  the  entrance  to 
Santiago  harbor,  where  only  twelve  years  be- 
fore history  had  been  made.  Viewed  from  the 
sea  the  entrance  is  a  distinct  disappointment,— 
for  the  simple  reason  that  you  can  hardly  see 
it.  It  is  almost  hidden  in  the  outline  of  the 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  59 

shore.  Yet  its  position  is  revealed  to  the 
mariner  from  a  distance  by  the  remarkable 
valley  that  lies  between  the  lofty  peaks  of  the 
Cobre  Mountains  I  have  just  mentioned,  one 
of  which,  Turquino,  may  on  a  clear  day  be  seen 
even  from  Jamaica.  Entering  the  harbor,  we 
passed  into  the  narrow  and  tortuous  channel. 
Above  us  on  the  right  towered  historic  Morro, 
with  its  terraced  fortifications,  while  to  the 
left  were  scattered  the  many  batteries  that  had 
at  one  time  or  another  been  erected  by  the 
Spaniards  when  invasion  threatened.  The 
harbor  indeed  does  make  an  ideal  strategic 
base,  with  every  advantage  for  defense  that 
nature  can  provide,  but  of  questionable  value 
owing  to  the  facility  with  which  it  could  be 
"bottled  up"  by  the  same  means  that  Hobson 
once  tried.  Farther  up  the  harbor  widens  out 
into  a  large  bay,  at  the  end  of  which  lies  the 
city,  resting  on  the  side  of  the  gentle  slope. 

I  had  naturally  expected  to  find  Santiago 
an  interesting  place,  replete  with  the  history 
of  that  heroic  defense,  the  marks  of  which  are 
still  to  be  seen  on  the  bleak  hills  surrounding 
the  city.  Once  on  shore  we  made  the  best  of 
our  way, — in  a  carriage,  of  course,  as  it  was 
very  hot  and  the  street  led  up  a  steep  hill, — 
to  the  Hotel  Casa  Grande,  which  is  considered 


60  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

by  many  the  best  native  hotel  in  Cuba.  First 
we  enjoyed  a  hearty  luncheon,  which  I  must 
say  was  greatly  appreciated,  our  last  meal 
having  been  some  seven  hours  before.  Then 
we  sat  around,  and  watched  other  people  do 
the  same.  For  in  the  daytime  the  Plaza  is 
deserted.  In  vain  we  looked  for  the  prome- 
naders.  Their  hour  had  not  yet  come.  "But  if 
the  gentlemen  would  only  be  patient,  and  wait 
until  the  evening,  then  they  would  see  a  won- 
derful sight,"  our  affable  proprietor  informed 
us.  So  we  sat  a  while  longer  on  the  veranda, 
and  contemplated  that  Plaza,  which  in  so  few 
hours  would  reveal  to  us  the  charms  of  the 
out-of-door  evening  life  which  is  such  a  feature 
of  existence  in  these  tropical  countries.  At  the 
north  lay  the  cathedral,  with  its  ancient  towers, 
while  on  either  side  of  the  Plaza  were  the  two 
prominent  hotels  and  a  number  of  the  more 
beautiful  private  residences.  The  garden  was 
crowded  with  palms  and  flowering  shrubs, 
while  the  walks  and  benches  filled  the  inter- 
vening space  under  the  shade  of  the  trees. 

Santiago  indeed  proved  more  of  an  evening 
city  than  any  I  had  heretofore  seen.  At  seven 
the  entire  scene  had  changed.  There  was 
music,  and  the  Plaza  had  been  transformed 
into  a  veritable  place  of  assembly  for  the  entire 


SEEN   FROM   ALOFT:     THE   QUARTER-DECK  OF  THE  KANSAS 

Copyright,  1911,  by  R.  W.  Neeser 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  61 

population.  The  walks  were  thronged  with 
Santiago's  fair  ones,  while  all  along  the  prom- 
enades were  rows  of  chairs,  where  the  people 
sat  laughing  and  talking. 

SUNDAY,  JANUARY  30TH. 

To  have  left  Santiago  without  seeing  Morro 
Castle  would  have  been  to  miss  the  most  pic- 
turesque sight  in  southern  Cuba.  So  at  an 
early  hour  we  hired  a  carriage  and  took  the 
road  which  leads  out  to  that  historic  fortress. 
The  first  part  of  the  journey  lay  across  a  very 
wild  country,  thick  with  underbrush,  which 
ascends  gradually  to  the  summit  of  the  range  of 
hills  that  surround  the  harbor  and  connect  the 
city  with  the  castle.  The  scenery  is  very 
beautiful,  and  when  once  you  reach  the  object 
of  your  visit  a  most  impressive  panorama 
unfolds  before  your  eyes.  High  above  the  sea, 
overlooking  the  narrow  channel  and  only  a 
stone's  throw  from  the  opposing  shore,  stands 
Morro.  On  either  side  the  tortuous  channel 
is  flanked  by  batteries  built  centuries  ago, 
in  1664,  while  in  the  far  background  are 
those  same  lofty  mountains  which  are  to  be 
seen  from  everywhere.  It  is  really  superb. 
The  castle  itself  is  fascinating.  Built  on  the 
edge  of  a  cliff, — its  lower  chambers  and  dun- 


62  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

geons  hollowed  out  of  the  rock,  and  above  these 
its  intricate  passages,  courtyard,  moat,  bridge 
and  high  battlements, — it  impresses  you  most 
deeply. 

Thanks  to  our  guide,  one  of  the  Rurales  on 
garrison  duty,  nothing  passed  unnoticed.  But 
as  he  knew  only  Spanish,  and  we  none  at  all, 
we  experienced  some  difficulty  in  understand- 
ing him  until  he  had  the  happy  inspiration  of 
resorting  to  some  sort  of  sign  language.  We 
saw  the  room  where  Hobson  was  imprisoned, 
the  marks  on  the  walls  where  the  shells  from 
the  American  blockading  fleet  struck,  the 
ancient  guns  and  old  wooden  carriages,  and 
the  cell  with  its  trapdoor  in  the  floor  through 
which  Cuban  political  prisoners  were  wont  to 
"disappear"  into  the  sea  below. 

At  noon  we  were  back  in  the  city  again,  and 
at  one-thirty  on  board  the  Uncos,  ready  for  the 
return  trip.  But  for  some  reason  we  never 
got  under  way  until  three  o'clock.  Just  before 
casting  off  the  Paymaster  and  I  decided  it 
would  be  wise  to  lay  in  a  store  of  provisions  in 
case  we  should  become  hungry  before  the  tug 
arrived  at  Guantanamo  Bay.  We  ran  to  a 
nearby  buvette  in  search  of  a  bite,  and  to  our 
delight  found  a  fine  ham  and  some  bread,  which 
would  be  just  the  thing  for  the  whole  party. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  63 

But  the  Cubano  wanted  four  dollars,  oro  amer- 
icano,  for  the  ham  alone,  so  we  told  him  he 
could  keep  his  ham,  and  go  to  the  devil,  too, 
for  all  we  cared. 

We  did  care,  however,  before  we  reached 
home,  and  many  a  time  wished  we  had  spent 
our  coin  for  that  ham.  The  trip  was  anything 
but  pleasant.  Long!  Six  mortal  hours  (we 
got  in  only  after  nine),  with  nothing  to  eat 
since  noon,  no  comfortable  place  to  sit  or  stand, 
the  tug  rocking  and  tossing  about  like  a  cork 
and  shipping  green  seas  over  her  chubby  bow. 
She  made  such  heavy  weather  that  the  Boat- 
swain had  to  slow  her  down.  Everyone  was 
tired,  hungry  and  grumpy,  and  when  we 
finally  stepped  on  board  our  respective  ships, 
we  vowed  we  would  never  again  leave  them  for 
any  excursion  trips  on  navy  tugs. 

MONDAY,  JANUARY  31sx. 

"Blue  Monday!"  For  at  eight  began  the 
first  of  the  dreaded  Admiral's  Inspections. 
Not  that  we  feared  the  results,  but  because 
they  interrupted  our  peaceful  "home  life."  It 
was  "Day  A,"  devoted  to  "materiel,  personnel, 
organization  and  drills  (fire,  collision,  aban- 
don ship,  and  divisional)."  The  inspection 
began  at  nine  and  was  divided  into  seven 


64  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

periods.  The  Admiral  and  his  Board,  consist- 
ing of  about  sixteen  officers  from  the  other 
ships,  came  aboard  in  royal  style.  Not  a  nook 
or  corner,  from  truck  to  double-bottoms, 
escaped  their  eagle  eyes.  Everything  under- 
went a  searching  examination,  and  I  am  sure 
that  I  too  was  an  object  for  inspection,  though 
I  did  my  level  best  to  keep  out  of  sight.  Then 
divisional  drills  of  every  kind  were  held,  and 
other  drills  followed  until  I  thought  the  end 
would  never  come.  But  they  say  that  we 
weathered  the  storm  in  a  most  seamanlike  man- 
ner, and  that  the  examining  officers  were  seen 
to  mark  "excellent"  opposite  the  names  of  a 
majority  of  the  "events,"  so  that  we  are  doubly 
grateful  now  that  it  is  all  over. 

TUESDAY,  FEBRUARY  IST. 

Having  successfully  passed  the  searching 
inspection,  we  settled  down  to  our  regular 
schedule  again.  At  seven,  two  of  the  divisions 
went  ashore  with  one  of  the  three-inch  field 
pieces  for  target  practice  among  the  hills, 
where  they  unlimbered,  and  it  seems  had  a 
most  busy  time  obliterating  an  obstinate  tar- 
get on  a  distant  hillock.  I  had  intended 
to  accompany  them,  but  when  the  Major 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  65 

asked  me  to  go  ashore  with  him  to  recon- 
noitre some  country  over  which  it  was  pro- 
posed to  hold  manoeuvres  and  brigade  drills 
during  the  next  few  weeks,  I  gladly  assented 
and  postponed  my  other  plan  to  some  future 
day.  Our  "hike"  proved  of  great  educational 
value.  We  learned  the  lay  of  the  land,  and 
when  we  returned  on  board  some  hours  later 
felt  that  we  really  understood  what  the  charts 
were  about  and  could  talk  intelligently  on  the 
subject. 

WEDNESDAY,  FEBRUARY  2ND. 

At  an  early  hour  we  had  General  Quarters, 
and  this  time  more  extensively  than  on  any 
other  occasion  during  this  cruise.  The  guns 
were  manned,  magazines  opened,  ammunition 
hoists  brought  into  service,  and  ranges  trans- 
mitted to  the  sight-setters,  as  on  the  day  of 
battle.  It  was  a  most  interesting  exercise  to 
watch,  and  later  when  they  gathered  in  the 
wardroom  to  talk  it  over  everyone  appeared 
pleased  at  the  excellent  showing. 

In  the  afternoon  the  First  Squadron 
indulged  in  a  Brigade  Drill  on  shore.  This 
meant  the  disembarking  of  the  entire  landing 
forces  of  six  ships — both  bluejackets  and 


66  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

marines — at  the  signal  from  the  flagship.  It 
was  the  first  time  this  year  this  exercise  had 
been  gone  through,  but  as  every  man  evidently 
knew  exactly  what  he  was  supposed  to  do, 
things  went  pretty  smoothly.  The  object  of 
the  expedition  was  to  occupy  the  range  of  hills 
in  the  rear  of  the  target  range  and  fortify 
them  against  a  hostile  force,  which  was  sup- 
posed to  be  attempting  a  landing  on  the  sea 
side.  The  several  divisions  of  the  regiment 
went  their  way  by  different  trails,  and  within 
an  hour  had  entrenched  themselves  among  the 
hills,  whence  they  completely  covered  the 
landing  places.  We  could  see  the  Admiral 
off  the  shore  in  the  Yankton,  impersonating 
the  enemy,  and  trying  to  discover  its  defend- 
ers. But  I  doubt  whether  his  eagle  eye  dis- 
cerned anyone,  for  we  were  pretty  well 
screened  by  every  bit  of  cover  we  could  find. 
Then,  having  accomplished  the  object  of  this 
exercise,  we  headed  towards  home  and  as  usual 
retraced  our  steps  in  record-breaking  time. 
Everyone  seemed  to  be  in  the  best  of  spirits. 
All  had  enjoyed  the  "hike"  and  as  we  crowded 
the  deck  after  dinner  to  laugh  at  a  new  set  of 
"movies"  that  had  just  come  aboard,  it  was 
evident  that  our  constitutional  had  done  us  a 
lot  of  good. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  67 

THURSDAY,  FEBRUARY  3RD. 

Long  before  the  breakfast  hour,  the  fleet  put 
to  sea  in  order  to  obtain  tactical  data  for  the 
intelligent  direction  of  the  ships  as  units  of  the 
fighting  fleet.  The  First  Squadron  steamed  to 
the  eastward,  while  the  second  and  this  ship 
went  in  the  opposite  direction.  Turning  trials 
were  held  by  all  the  ships  in  pairs,  one  acting  as 
pivot  while  the  other  went  through  the  exer- 
cises. We  did  ours  with  the  Idaho,  and  about 
noon,  when  it  was  all  over  and  we  were  no 
longer  needed,  we  gladly  took  leave  of  the 
"strangers"  and  went  in  search  of  the  flagship, 
on  board  of  which  such  of  our  officers  as  could 
be  spared  were  holding  "Admiral's  Inspection 
Day  C"  (Cleared  for  Action  Underway). 
We  finally  found  her  some  twenty  miles  up 
the  coast,  and  then  began  the  tedious  task  of 
getting  our  officers  back  to  this  ship.  A 
heavy  ground-swell  made  the  exercise  all  the 
more  thrilling,  but  everyone  seemed  to  have  a 
good  eye,  and  excellent  judgment  in  making 
the  leap  for  the  whaleboat,  so  that  no  one  got 
a  bath,  and  we  were  soon  under  way  in  single 
column  with  the  rest  of  the  Squadron  in  search 
of  the  other  ships  that  were  playing  the  role 
of  the  enemy's  fleet.  About  two  we  sighted 


68  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

them,  cleared  for  action,  trained  our  guns  on 
them,  and  carried  out  every  exercise  as  in 
actual  battle,  except  that  no  shots  were  fired. 
The  two  squadrons  manoeuvred  for  position, 
while  the  umpires  kept  a  careful  watch  of  all 
movements,  and  ordered  such  ships  as  in  their 
opinion  had  been  disabled  by  gunfire  to  drop 
out  of  the  line  of  battle. 

FRIDAY,  FEBRUARY  4TH. 

All  of  last  night  we  were  at  sea  cruising  in 
the  Windward  Passage.  Why  I  do  not  know ; 
the  Admiral  never  told  us  his  reason  for  the 
change  of  front.  Perhaps  he  thought  we  would 
like  the  change,  and  I  must  say  that  if  that  was 
his  idea  he  read  our  thoughts  rather  success- 
fully. As  if  to  make  sure  that  he  had  judged 
us  correctly  at  the  time  of  our  last  inspection, 
he  once  more  came  aboard  this  morning  to  con- 
firm his  opinion  as  to  the  preparedness  of  this 
ship  for  war,  and  we  consequently  had  to  go 
through  the  ordeal  of  clearing  the  ship  for 
action.  At  five  the  men  began  the  thorough 
task;  I  know  the  hour  because  the  noise  they 
made  unshipping  things  was  enough  to  wake 
even  the  soundest  sleeper, — which  means  me. 
On  deck  everything  movable  was  taken  down 
and  stowed  below;  davits,  boats,  railings,  flag- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  69 

staffs,  and  ventilators,  all  disappeared  down 
the  hatches,  while  below  decks  such  objects  as 
could  be  dispensed  with  in  battle  were  labeled 
"Overboard  in  Action,"  which,  by  the  way,  was 
a  tag  that  the  practical  jokers  had  great  fun 
affixing  on  the  backs  of  their  unsuspecting 
victims.  When  the  inspection  commenced,  at 
nine  o'clock,  the  crew  were  at  their  quarters, 
and  all  was  in  readiness.  Then  the  drill  began ; 
everything  was  done  under  as  near  battle  con- 
ditions as  possible;  the  ship  was  steered  from 
the  conning  tower,  and  officers  were  all  at 
their  battle  stations.  Of  course  I,  too,  had  to 
have  a  post,  so  the  Executive  Officer  desig- 
nated me  as  his  aide  in  the  Central  Station, 
and  here  I  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  this 
important  part  of  the  ship's  equipment  for 
battle,  the  central  for  all  the  telephones  and 
voice-tube  systems  in  action,  as  also  the  loca- 
tion of  the  emergency  hand  steering-gear.  We 
were  under  the  shelter  of  the  protective  deck, 
far  below  the  water  line,  where  few  shells 
would  find  their  way  in  time  of  battle.  Three 
hours  was  I  there,  not  daring  to  show  myself 
elsewhere  for  fear  of  meeting  one  of  the 
inspecting  officers,  but  the  time  passed  quickly 
enough,  and  we  soon  were  on  deck  listening 
to  all  the  amusing  things  that  had  happened, 


70  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

for  the  bluejacket  always  has  a  keen  sense  of 
humor  and  something  to  say  that  will  make 
the  worst  gloom  forget  his  thoughts. 

It  seems  that  while  the  inspection  was  going 
on,  it  occurred  to  one  of  the  inspecting  officers 
to  look  into  the  engineers'  washroom  to  see 
that  no  one  was  lurking.  Of  course  he  had 
to  find  a  victim,  a  coal-passer,  whose  real  sta- 
tion during  this  particular  drill  was  certainly 
not  there.  In  answer  to  the  natural  question, 
the  unfortunate  man  said  he  did  not  know,  but 
he  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  add  that  he  had 
been  told  to  stay  there,  in  the  washroom,  to 
keep  others  from  coming  in,  and  so  he  was 
just  there.  But  the  best  of  all  happened  up 
on  the  berth- deck,  where  the  7-inch  guns  were 
being  worked  during  the  General  Quarters 
drill.  They  say  that  in  the  course  of  the 
"battle"  one  of  the  gun  pointers  was  suddenly 
informed  by  the  inspecting  officer  that  all  his 
gun-crew,  except  himself,  had  been  killed,  and 
that  he  was  asked  what  he  would  do  to  con- 
tinue his  piece  in  action.  Without  a  word  he 
rushed  to  the  ammunition  hoist,  grabbed  the 
shell  and  powder-bags,  rammed  them  into  the 
breech,  closed  the  latter,  trained  the  gun  from 
the  trainer's  platform,  ran  around  to  his  own 
station,  pointed  the  gun  and  then  fired  it, — 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  71 

all  to  the  astonishment  of  the  officer,  who  was 
utterly  unprepared  for  such  an  exhibition  of 
presence  of  mind.  It  goes  without  saying  that 
he  gave  the  man  full  credit  for  what  he  had 
done,  and  complimented  him  highly;  only  he 
took  the  liberty  of  suggesting  to  him  that  it 
would  perhaps  have  been  somewhat  less  stren- 
uous and  exhausting,  as  well  as  much  more 
advisable,  to  have  sought  a  relief  gun-crew! 

After  dinner  "Battle  Plan  No.  1"  was 
resumed,  except  that  the  positions  of  the 
squadrons  were  reversed,  and  the  same  prob- 
lems worked  over  as  yesterday.  Only  the  sim- 
plest manoeuvres  were  indulged  in,  designed 
especially  to  give  practice  to  the  fire-control 
party,  the  range  finder  operators,  and  those 
working  the  telephone  systems,  and  when  the 
engagement  had  been  brought  to  a  successful 
close,  we  all  returned  to  our  anchorage  in  the 
bay,  where  we  found  the  Virginia,  which  had 
just  come  from  the  States. 

SATURDAY,,  FEBRUARY  5TH. 

Another  "field  day,"  and  all  morning  the 
men  paddled  about  barefooted  in  the  streams 
of  water  that  flooded  the  decks.  Cleanliness 
is  indeed  a  sort  of  fetish  in  the  Navy. 


72  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

Then  at  ten-thirty  came  the  usual  "Quar- 
ters," after  which  guard  mount  took  place  and 
the  "sailor  guard"  turned  this  duty  over  to  the 
marines.  In  former  years  this  duty  of  sentries 
and  orderlies,  and  parading  the  guard  was 
always  performed  by  the  marines,  who  were 
looked  upon  somewhat  in  the  light  of  the  old 
Swiss  guards,  a  sort  of  protection  to  the  throne, 
but  not  long  ago  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
decided  that  it  would  not  hurt  the  bluejackets 
to  try  their  hand  at  it,  so  an  order  appeared 
which  upset  all  traditions  in  the  service  and 
which  directed  that  henceforth  a  detachment 
of  bluejackets  should  perform  the  duty  for  at 
least  a  month  in  every  quarter  of  the  year. 
Of  course  no  one  liked  the  idea.  It  was  out- 
rageous. And  the  wonder  is  that  it  succeeded 
at  all,  for  if  anything  is  an  impossibility  it  is 
trying  to  make  a  soldier  out  of  a  sailor.  But 
the  quarterly  duty  is  over  now,  at  least  for  the 
next  three  months;  so  everyone  on  board  is 
happy  again, — the  sailors  because  they  are 
through  with  it,  and  the  marines  because  they 
are  once  more  doing  what  they  always  have 
considered  their  duty  and  privilege  on  ship- 
board. 

Of  course  this  dislike  and  aversion  of  Navy 
men  to  doing  anything  which  they  considered 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  73 

the  lot  of  the  soldier  came  in  for  a  warm  dis- 
cussion in  the  mess  at  dinner  time.  Everyone 
had  something  to  say  on  the  subject.  But  by 
far  the  most  entertaining  of  the  many  tales  we 
listened  to  was  the  one  of  how  the  middies 
of  1850  received  the  order  that  for  the  first 
time  subjected  them  to  "soldiering."  For 
them  it  was  a  clean  break  with  the  past. 
Never  before  had  they  been  called  upon  to 
do  such  work.  But  the  Department  seemed 
to  consider  the  matter  in  another  light,  and  in 
due  time  decreed  that  the  new  system  should 
be  introduced  at  the  Academy.  Their  drill- 
master  was  a  former  West  Pointer,  a  gifted 
and  able  man,  but  unfortunately  handicapped 
in  that  he  was  a  bad  stutterer.  The  poor 
midshipmen  hated  the  menial  duty  and  longed 
for  an  opportunity  of  showing  their  displeas- 
ure in  some  effective  manner.  Finally  the 
long  looked  for  chance  came.  For  one  fine 
day,  as  the  battalion  was  parading  along  the 
Severn  River,  they  executed  a  movement 
which  brought  them  face  to  face  with  the 
water;  they  were  rapidly  nearing  it, — when 
lo!  the  poor  Professor's  voice  failed  him,  and 
before  he  could  utter  a  command  the  entire 
detachment  plunged  into  the  water  and  buried 
their  muskets  in  the  muddy  bottom. 


74  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

MONDAY,  FEBRUARY  TTH. 

There  is  nothing  like  taking  advantage  of 
opportunities,  for  experience  in  the  past  has 
already  only  too  well  taught  me  that  when  I 
refuse  to  do  so,  I  usually  have  good  cause  for 
regret.  So  when  I  was  awakened  this  morn- 
ing at  the  cheerful  hour  of  five  o'clock  (two 
bells,  I  should  have  said),  I  tried  to  forget  the 
fact  that  it  was  a  most  unusual  hour  for  me 
to  be  getting  up,  and  dressed  as  quickly  as 
possible,  as  a  steamer  from  the  Connecticut 
was  already  alongside  ready  to  begin  the  daily 
morning  duty  of  going  to  market  at  Caima- 
nera.  For  this  is  a  most  important  event  in  the 
daily  life  of  the  mess,  one  on  the  success  of 
which  much  depends,  simply  because  it  means 
fresh  fruits  and  vegetables.  One  of  our  mid- 
shipmen has  become  possessed  with  the  idea 
that  to  make  this  tour  of  duty  is  the  greatest 
joy  in  life,  so  all  who  in  the  past  have  had  to  do 
it  much  against  their  will,  have  hailed  him  as  a 
deliverer  and  he  never  yet  has  had  to  fight 
for  his  place.  Apparently  he  tired  of  making 
the  trip  with  just  mess  stewards  as  com- 
panions, for  he  asked  me  if  I  would  not  join 
him.  It  was  wonderful,  he  said.  The  most 
beautiful  time  of  day!  And  then  to  think  of 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  75 

that  breakfast  which  Sung-Lee  daily  prepared 
for  him  on  the  veranda  of  the  small  restaurant 
at  Caimanera!  How  could  I  resist?  Well, 
to  be  frank,  I  didn't.  I  simply  went,  enjoyed 
the  experience,  and  wasted  the  good  part  of 
an  hour  doing  nothing,  and  then  returned  to 
the  fleet.  It  was  all  very  nice,  and  I  would 
have  been  glad  that  I  had  gone,  if  by  doing  so 
I  had  not  missed  a  most  interesting  phase  of 
the  ship's  drills.  For  it  seems  that  while  we 
were  at  our  ease  on  Sung-Lee's  charming 
veranda  the  torpedo  and  several  other  divi- 
sions had  left  for  Granadillo  Bay  to  lay  a 
mine-field.  But  it  didn't  do  any  good  to  make 
myself  unhappy  about  it,  so  I  sought  solace 
in  the  steerage,  where  one  of  the  midshipmen 
comforted  me  by  explaining  all  I  had  not  seen. 

TUESDAY,  FEBRUARY  STH. 

One  subject  that  has  for  some  time  engaged 
everyone's  attention  is  gunnery  and  target 
practice.  In  about  two  months  the  fleet  will 
be  engaged  in  record  practice, — each  gun-crew 
doing  its  best  before  the  eyes  of  the  entire 
Navy  and  each  ship  out  to  win  the  trophy. 
People  may  cry  against  the  annual  expendi- 
ture of  such  large  sums  of  money  for  this 
expensive  pastime,  as  some  are  pleased  to  call 


76  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

it,  but  it  is  an  absolute  necessity.  What  is  not 
generally  known,  however,  is  that  the  train- 
ing which  leads  up  to  target  practice  and 
enables  the  pointers  to  make  the  records  does 
not  cost  the  Government  one  cent  in  ammu- 
nition. Instead  a  most  ingenious  device  has 
been  invented,  which,  applied  to  the  gun, 
simulates  the  action  of  the  ship,  steaming  at 
high  speed  in  a  heavy  sea,  and  the  pointer  is 
thus  enabled  to  have  practice  in  keeping  his 
piece  on  a  moving  target.  A  small  card, 
pierced  by  an  electrically  operated  needle 
every  time  he  presses  the  trigger,  registers 
the  accuracy  of  his  aim,  and  thus  gives  an 
indication  to  the  officer  in  charge  whether  the 
man  has  fired  when  he  was  "on"  or  not.  This 
is  what  is  called  "dotter  practice."  It  is  the 
real  secret  of  the  new  system  of  naval  gunnery 
and  of  the  remarkable  records  recently  made. 
But  it  is  nothing  new.  The  English  and 
French  navies  used  such  a  device  as  early  as 
1863,  but  it  apparently  went  into  disuse  and 
for  years  remained  forgotten. 

Yet  however  valuable  this  method  of  train- 
ing is,  it  can  never  wholly  supersede  target 
practice  under  actual  service  conditions.  The 
pointers'  nerves  are  in  no  way  affected  when 
they  press  the  noiseless  trigger  of  the  dotter. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  77 

But  when  the  pressing  of  that  same  trigger 
will  cause  the  explosion  of  hundreds  of  pounds 
of  powder  and  a  violent  recoil  of  the  pieces  at 
their  sides,  their  nerves  will  be  so  highly  strung 
that  all  previous  "noiseless"  training  will  have 
been  in  vain. 

But  this  is  only  one  side  of  this  important 
training.  For  no  sooner  is  this  drill  over  than 
the  rest  of  the  gun-crew  are  exercised  at  load- 
ing with  dummy  projectiles  and  powder-bags. 
Daily  they  become  more  proficient,  avoiding 
false  moves  and  making  every  step  with  a 
precision  that  in  the  end  becomes  machine- 
like.  It  is  as  pretty  a  sight  as  you  can  wish  for 
to  see  those  crews  at  work,  while  to  the  men  it 
becomes  a  sport  in  which  competition  between 
several  gun-crews  is  something  to  be  seen,  not 
read  about. 

WEDNESDAY,  FEBRUARY  OTH. 

There  are  many  drills  that  fill  the  daily 
routine  of  the  battleship  from  one  end  of  the 
year  to  the  other,  but  none  is  more  interesting 
than  that  which  follows  the  order,  "Landing 
force,  Away!"  Such  an  order  was  flown  from 
the  Admiral's  signal  halyards  this  noon,  and 
before  any  perceptible  interval  of  time  had 
elapsed,  a  dozen  or  more  boats  had  left  the 


78  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

ship's  side,  all  crowded  with  men,  fully 
equipped,  with  emergency-rations  for  two 
days,  armed  with  boat-guns  and  Colt  automat- 
ics, ammunition  in  plenty,  medicine-chests, — 
everything,  in  fact,  that  the  regulations  had 
provided  to  render  them  capable  of  independ- 
ent action.  Then  began  their  swift  onrush 
towards  the  beach,  the  momentary  check  at  the 
water's  edge,  the  torrent  of  men  in  white  pour- 
ing over  the  bows,  and  the  sudden  disappear- 
ance from  view  of  the  loose-knit  line  of  skir- 
mishers into  the  jungle  beyond.  So  perfectly 
had  it  all  been  done  that  the  detail  involved 
was  in  the  instant  forgotten,  and  it  was  only 
later  when  I  saw  the  manuscript  books  that 
each  officer  had  in  his  possession,  giving  the 
name,  station,  and  duties  of  every  man  of  the 
thousand  on  board  under  all  conceivable  con- 
tingencies, that  I  began  to  realize  how  beauti- 
fully the  machinery  of  the  ship's  organization 
had  been  adjusted  and  how  admirably  it 
worked  to  the  ordered,  effortless  end. 

This  is  the  second  time  our  landing  force 
has  been  ashore  within  the  past  month.  How 
strange  it  seems  to  use  bluejackets  on  terra 
firma.  Yet  it  is  nothing  new.  Often,  in  the 
past,  have  our  sailors  been  called  upon  to  take 
the  part  of  and  act  with  soldiers  in  fighting 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  79 

ashore.  Even  where  the  Navy  has  had  no 
actual  hand  in  the  operations,  it  still  has  been 
back  of  the  Army  and  co-operating  with  it. 
The  enemy  may  not  have  had  a  single  ship,  yet 
the  Navy  has  acted  in  the  field  against  him.  In 
China,  Mexico,  South  America,  Samoa,  Egypt, 
the  Philippines,  and  Corea,  such  was  the  case. 
And  it  has  always  been  the  Navy  that  has  first 
been  called  upon  in  emergencies. 

In  the  evening  we  had  our  first  Searchlight 
Drill.  And  a  very  strict  affair  it  was,  too.  At 
the  word  of  command  the  switches  of  the 
lighting  circuit  were  thrown  out;  the  ship  was 
in  utter  darkness,  and  even  the  battle  ports 
had  to  be  closed  lest  a  ray  of  light  from  the 
inside  should  show  to  the  watchful  enemy. 
Only  battle-lanterns  were  allowed  and  these 
glimmered  like  glow-worms  in  the  inky  black- 
ness. Below,  the  water-tight  doors  were  tightly 
shut,  completely  isolating  the  several  com- 
partments of  the  ship's  hull,  while  everyone 
moved  about  stealthily,  talking  in  whispers,  as 
if  the  crucial  moment  were  actually  at  hand. 
Then  the  ardois  on  the  flagship  began  to 
twinkle  the  message  of  command.  Simulta- 
neously every  searchlight  on  each  of  the  sixteen 
ships  was  turned  on,  and  ninety-six  rays  of 
light  began  to  sweep  the  horizon  in  an 


80  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

endeavor  to  pick  up  the  enemy.  The  strictest 
rules  governed  the  entire  drill,  for  should  any 
beam  of  light  traverse  its  neighbor,  the  effec- 
tiveness of  both  would  be  momentarily  yet 
seriously  impaired.  For  half  an  hour  the 
thrilling  exhibition  continued,  and  just  as  I 
was  really  beginning  to  appreciate  the  beauty 
of  it,  the  lights  suddenly  went  out,  and  there 
remained  only  the  ships  of  the  fleet  lying 
quietly  at  anchor  with  only  the  regulation 
lights  showing  and  nothing  at  all  to  indicate 
that  anything  out  of  the  ordinary  had  recently 
happened. 

THURSDAY,  FEBRUARY  IOTH. 

In  the  morning,  we  again  went  to  sea,  and 
till  noon  idled  away  the  hours  acting  as  stake- 
boat  for  the  Vermont,  which  had  decided  to 
have  her  turn  at  holding  turning  trials.  We 
remained  stationary,  like  a  log  on  the  water, 
while  she  circled  round  and  round  us,  tooting 
her  whistle  every  half  minute,  and  running 
signal  flags  up  and  down.  To  many  this  may 
have  seemed  a  wasteful  performance.  From 
many  parts  of  the  deck  it  did,  but  you  had 
only  to  go  up  on  the  bridge,  where  the  officers 
and  signal  division  had  taken  their  places,  to 
realize  that  it  was  not  a  mere  pastime  that 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  81 

was  being  indulged  in.  It  was  more  than 
that.  The  observations  that  were  there  being 
made  and  the  data  that  were  being  compiled 
were  some  day  to  be  of  vital  importance  to 
the  officers  of  the  Vermont  to  enable  them  to 
know  their  ship  and  to  appreciate  her  capabili- 
ties. For  in  time  of  action  much  would  depend 
on  whether  the  Officer-of-the-Deck  knew  what 
was  her  tactical  diameter,  what  her  advance, 
what  it  would  be  with  the  inner  screw  backed, 
or  whether  another  vessel  or  a  shoal  could  be 
better  avoided  by  backing  or  turning  or  both, 
or  in  what  time  or  what  way  a  man  overboard 
could  be  picked  up  most  quickly.  Ships,  like 
human  beings,  have  their  peculiarities,  and  it 
is  only  by  going  through  such  exercises,  how- 
ever monotonous  and  trivial,  that  those  in 
charge  can  learn  their  ways,  study  their  effects, 
and  know  how  to  make  proper  use  of  both 
when  the  emergency  arises. 

This  exercise  completed,  we  formed  in  order 
of  battle  and  at  two  bells  resumed  our  battle 
plan  exercises  where  we  had  left  off  last  week. 
When  the  novelty  of  watching  these  manoeu- 
vres had  worn  off,  I  crawled  into  the  after  12- 
inch  turret,  where  the  crews  were  having  their 
loading  drills.  There  is  just  room  for  the  men 
to  work  the  huge  piece,  but  I  managed  to 


82  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

squeeze  myself  in  a  corner  where  I  would  not 
be  in  the  way.  Then  I  was  able  to  contemplate 
the  wonders  of  this  steel-walled  pen  by  the 
dim  light  of  the  battle  lanterns.  Before  me 
were  the  breech-mechanism  and  recoil-cylin- 
ders of  one  of  the  great  guns, — the  other 
being  hidden  by  a  steel  bulkhead, — while 
immediately  in  the  rear  of  the  breech  was  the 
ammunition  hoist  that  brought  the  great  shells 
and  powder-bags  up  from  the  depths  below 
and  the  rammer  that  shoved  them  into  the 
breech.  Every  man  was  at  his  station,  and  the 
way  each  performed  his  particular  duty  was  a 
revelation.  At  the  word  of  command,  the  trap 
door  to  the  handling  room  opened  its  steel 
jaws,  up  rushed  the  ammunition  car  into  place 
before  the  breech,  which  had  meanwhile  been 
opened,  in  went  the  860-pound  shell  and  the 
heavy  powder-bags.  Before  I  realized  what 
had  happened  the  breech  was  closed,  the  car 
had  disappeared,  the  shutter  below  had  again 
been  shut,  the  plugman  had  inserted  the 
primer, — and  the  piece  was  ready.  The  trainer 
and  pointers  were  at  their  places  in  the  sight- 
ing hoods,  their  eyes  glued  to  the  telescope- 
sights,  while  behind  them  stood  the  sight-set- 
ters, their  heads  lost  in  telephone  head-pieces, 
ready  at  a  moment's  notice  to  make  the  all- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  83 

important  changes  in  the  range  and  deflection. 
Time  after  time  the  gun  was  loaded,  without 
the  slightest  misstep  or  false  move, — and  then 
you  realized  the  real  significance  of  that  magic 
word,  "Drill,"  and  appreciated  the  importance 
of  those  few  hours  that  are  each  day  set  aside 
for  it  in  the  routine  of  every  ship  in  the  Navy. 

FRIDAY,  FEBRUARY  HTH. 

As  usual,  turning  trials  and  battle  exercises 
were  again  the  order  of  the  day.  But  the 
novelty  has  somewhat  worn  off  by  now.  How- 
ever, my  opportunity  to  learn  something  more 
about  my  ship  came  later  in  the  day,  when  the 
Executive  Officer  invited  me  to  accompany 
him  on  his  weekly  round  of  inspection.  Need- 
less to  say  I  jumped  at  the  chance  and  precisely 
at  the  stroke  of  eight  bells  started  with  the 
little  procession,  consisting  of  the  Executive, 
the  Surgeon,  two  junior  officers,  the  Chief 
Master-at-Arms,  and  others  of  less  note. 
From  the  officers'  quarters  we  went  down  to 
the  berth-deck,  thence  into  the  storerooms,  the 
torpedo-rooms,  up  and  down  ladders,  through 
narrow  passageways  closed  by  water-tight 
doors,  which  seemed  to  open  and  shut  like 
the  secret  panels  of  old.  Then  came  the 


84  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

steering  engine  and  dynamo-rooms,  the  ammu- 
nition handling  rooms,  chain  and  paint  lockers, 
crew's  washrooms,  pantries  and  galleys,  not 
to  mention  the  ship's  hospital,  operating  room 
and  "brig."  Nothing  seemed  to  escape  the 
officers'  keen  glances.  "What  was  the  matter 
with  that  condenser  yesterday  morning?"  the 
Commander  ejaculated  as  we  turned  a  corner 
and  descended  to  the  next  deck.  I  hadn't 
noticed  the  man  at  all. 

Indeed,  I  was  more  appalled  than  ever  at  the 
complexity  of  the  huge  machine.  And  yet  in 
the  short  time  that  the  inspection  lasted  we  had 
visited  only  a  few  of  the  essential  parts  of  the 
ship's  hold.  The  huge  spaces  devoted  to  boiler- 
rooms,  engine-rooms,  double-bottoms,  had  re- 
mained unexplored,  but  these  did  not  come 
within  the  scope  of  that  afternoon's  inspection. 
Nevertheless,  when  I  returned  again  to  the  offi- 
cers' quarters,  whence  we  had  started,  I  felt 
that  it  would  be  many  days  before  I  should  be 
able  to  fully  appreciate  the  significance  of  that 
long  series  of  instantaneous  impressions  of 
internal  naval  life. 

MONDAY,  FEBRUARY  14TH. 

"Collision  Quarters!"  The  shriek  of  the 
siren  called  every  man  to  his  station  on  the 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  85 

run.  For  no  other  command  demands  such 
instant  and  implicit  obedience  as  the  call  of 
this  moaning  signal.  It  was  only  a  drill,  yet 
the  superb  discipline  that  ever  characterizes 
the  service  sent  officers  and  men  to  their  posts 
with  a  rapidity  that  bore  witness  to  months  of 
practice.  Between  decks  the  "general  alarm" 
gong  was  clanging,  buglers  were  sounding  the 
command,  "To  collision  quarters,"  and  hun- 
dreds of  men  were  hurrying  about,  some  up  on 
the  forecastle  to  help  check  the  inrushing 
water,  others  below  to  close  the  water-tight 
doors  that  separate  the  several  compartments 
of  the  vessel's  hold  below  the  water  line.  The 
whole  ship  was  alive  from  the  very  double- 
bottoms  to  the  upper  deck.  Deep  down  in 
her  bowels  the  engineers,  firemen,  and  coal- 
passers  were  at  their  posts,  ready  to  do  their 
duty;  forward  in  the  "sick  bay"  the  hospital 
corps  were  caring  for  the  helpless  unfortunates, 
who  unaided  could  not  escape ;  while  amidships 
the  Master- at- Arms  hurried  to  the  "brig"  and 
released  the  prisoners  from  their  cells  of  con- 
finement. On  the  main  deck  the  men  of  the 
fourth  division, — one  of  the  seven  "gun  divi- 
sions" into  which  the  ship's  company  is 
divided, — dragged  the  heavy  collision  mat  to 
the  rail  and  lowered  it  over  the  side  where  the 


86  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

lower  end  was  hauled  into  place  over  the  sup- 
posed hole  in  the  hull  by  a  reeving  line 
passed  beneath  the  keel.  In  extreme  cases  the 
"diving  party"  are  called  upon  to  assist  the 
men  on  deck,  but  usually  the  mat  can  be 
adjusted  without  the  diver's  help,  and  with  it 
in  place,  the  inrush  of  water  is  sufficiently 
checked  to  allow  the  rent  to  be  repaired  from 
within.  The  whole  work  had  been  performed  in 
less  than  ten  minutes.  There  had  been  no  con- 
fusion; each  man  knew  exactly  what  to  do,  and 
not  one  had  failed  to  perform  his  duty  the 
minute  the  shrill  siren  had  shrieked  its  warn- 
ing. 

WEDNESDAY,,  FEBRUARY  16TH. 

"Admiral's  Inspection  Day  D"  was  on  the 
schedule  this  morning,  so  all  the  ship's  boats 
were  called  away  early  and  spent  the  entire 
forenoon  drilling  under  sail  and  oars,  in  obe- 
dience to  signals  from  the  flagship.  It  was 
indeed  a  pretty  sight  to  see  those  many  sails 
in  the  bay,  and  one  that  reminded  you  more 
of  regatta  days  at  Marblehead  than  of  the 
warlike  training  that  called  us  here. 

Then  later  on  the  landing  forces  went  ashore 
for  the  third  time  this  week  for  Brigade  Drill. 
They  landed  at  Hicical  Beach,  formed  on  the 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  87 

flats  near  the  shore,  and  disappeared  from 
view  in  the  underbrush  beyond.  For  once  I 
did  not  accompany  them,  and  as  it  turned  out 
I  had  a  rather  fortunate  escape.  The  officer 
commanding  the  brigade,  it  seems,  apparently 
had  neglected  to  study  the  indispensable  chart, 
or  else  was  inspired  with  some  devilish  scheme, 
for  they  say  that  he  marched  his  command 
right  through  a  maze  of  mangroves  in  mud 
into  which  the  men  sank  up  to  their  knees,  and 
often  much  deeper.  For  over  an  hour  they 
struggled  on,  only  to  find  themselves  face  to 
face  with  an  unfordable  lake.  Several  of  the 
men  were  lost  and  had  to  be  saved  from  a 
muddy  grave  by  rescue  parties.  "It  was  a 
fine  party,  it  was!"  exclaimed  the  corporal  of 
marines.  Yet  it  is  only  by  experience  that  one 
learns,  and  perhaps  this  was  the  experience  our 
leader  needed  to  impress  upon  him  the  impor- 
tance of  reconnoitering  beforehand  and  the 
inadvisability  of  attempting  any  such  explor- 
ing expeditions  in  the  future.  Still  the  men 
all  appeared  to  have  enjoyed  their  "hike,"  even 
though  they  had  had  a  hard  time  of  it,  and  the 
tales  they  poured  into  the  listening  ears  of  those 
who  had  not  gone  apparently  had  no  discour- 
aging effects  upon  the  latter,  except  to  make 
them  wish  that  they  had  been  able  to  go  too. 


88  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

THURSDAY,  FEBRUARY  17TH. 

Again  we  went  to  sea  for  turning  trials  in 
the  forenoon  and  the  all-important  "Battle 
Plan"  exercises  in  the  afternoon.  And  they 
say  that  since  these  manoeuvres  have  been  held 
the  fighting  value  of  the  fleet  has  been  increased 
50  per  cent.  For  the  gun-fire  of  a  ship  in 
action  is  far  more  dependent  upon  her  proper 
handling  than  is  usually  supposed,  and  the 
handling  of  these  mighty  battleships  in  a 
tumbling  sea  is  no  easy  matter,  especially  when 
fifteen  or  more  others  are  about  you  wheeling, 
shooting  ahead,  backing,  and  stopping.  It  is 
then  that  you  realize  what  the  failure  properly 
to  read  a  signal,  or  a  slight  mishap  to  the 
steering  gear,  may  mean.  Yet  confidence 
comes  only  from  experience,  and  hence  the 
necessity  for  the  constant  exercises  which 
familiarize  the  officers  with  the  danger,  and  fit 
them  to  meet  emergencies  when  everything 
will  depend  on  the  prompt  execution  of  an 
order. 

It  seemed  like  old  times  to  have  the  Vermont 
turning  circles  about  us  once  more,  but  it  was 
not  for  long.  Something  more  important  was 
on  the  programme  of  the  day.  What,  I  had 
not  the  time  to  ask.  The  Kansas's  sister-ship 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  89 

had  come  up  alongside,  so  close  that  we  thought 
only  of  how  soon  they  would  come  together. 
But  it  was  no  hostile  intent  that  brought  her 
so  near,  only  a  friendly  spirit  of  charity.  For 
we  were  supposed  to  be  helpless,  our  engines 
broken  down,  and  utterly  unable  to  escape 
from  the  windward  coast.  By  us  she  slipped, 
and  as  she  crossed  our  bows  she  trailed  a  buoy 
over  our  ram  where  waiting  hands  could  grap- 
ple it.  A  cable  was  passed  to  her  through  our 
hawse-hole,  forty-five  fathoms  of  chain  were 
paid  out,  and  then  the  tow-line  was  ready. 
Slowly  then  she  started  ahead.  The  strain  on 
the  cable  was  tremendous;  many  expected  to 
see  it  part,  but  it  held,  and  before  long  we 
were  being  towed  about  at  various  speeds  and 
on  varying  courses.  The  exercise  was  a  com- 
plete success,  and  also  of  surpassing  interest 
as  a  novelty. 

SATURDAY,  FEBRUARY  19TH. 

Painting  day,  so  it  has  not  been  a  pleasant 
time  to  be  on  board.  You  could  not  go  any- 
where without  besmearing  yourself  with  "war- 
paint," or  "nearpaint,"  as  they  call  it  in  the 
Navy.  And  besides,  everyone  has  been  busied 
with  the  preparations  for  going  into  camp. 
Arms,  ammunition,  tents,  mess-gear,  and  what 


90  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

not,  have  all  been  collected  for  the  early  start 
on  the  morrow,  when  the  entire  division  is  to 
go  on  shore  for  a  fortnight's  "soldiering." 

SUNDAY,  FEBRUARY  20TH. 

At  ten  we  were  off  for  Deer  Point.  The 
ship's  battalion,  consisting  of  four  companies  of 
bluejackets  and  one  of  marines,  left  in  our  flo- 
tilla of  small  boats  and  made  for  the  shore, 
where  the  landing  forces  of  the  Connecticut, 
Virginia  and  Missouri  joined  us.  Then  the  real 
work  of  the  day  began.  Boats  had  to  be  un- 
loaded, camping  sites  chosen,  tents  pitched, 
ammunition  stored,  provisions  landed,  and,  last 
but  not  least,  dinner  cooked.  In  an  hour  every- 
thing was  about  as  shipshape  as  could  possibly 
have  been  desired.  The  several  ships'  bat- 
talions occupied  the  sites  allotted  them,  and 
each  laid  out  its  encampment  in  a  model  way. 
On  the  right  were  the  officers'  and  company 
commanders'  tents,  to  the  left  those  of  their 
men.  The  companies  had  their  own  streets, 
the  kitchens  their  particular  locations  to  lee- 
ward, while  at  a  distance  incinerators  were 
erected. 

The  men  seemed  to  take  a  certain  pride  in 
making  their  tents  look  attractive  and  comfort- 
able. A  large  pile  of  lumber  and  empty  boxes 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  91 

near  at  hand  quickly  vanished  before  the 
onslaught  of  a  self-appointed  foraging  party. 
Closets,  shelves,  racks,  tables,  benches,  sprang 
up  with  amazing  rapidity,  while  from  the 
jungle  in  the  distance  came  others  bearing 
palms,  trees,  coral  stones,  and  rocks,  with  which 
they  laid  out  miniature  gardens  in  front  of 
their  dilatory  domiciles. 

Then  at  two  o'clock  dinner  was  announced, 
and  we  needed  no  urging  to  make  us  eat.  For- 
tunately our  mess  caterer  had  anticipated  the 
unusual  demand  of  the  occasion,  so  we  were 
fully  provided  for.  And  as  on  shipboard  we 
all  had  our  separate  mess.  The  men  of  each 
battalion  messed  together,  the  marines  kept  to 
themselves  in  solitary  grandeur,  and  the  offi- 
cers had  their  own  little  mess  tent.  Our 
"Battalion  Mess"  comprises  sixteen  members, 
which  to  some  may  be  a  small  number,  but  it 
seems  that  the  first  meal  has  already  served  to 
convince  the  caterer  that  this  is  not  so. 

On  the  whole,  we  are  very  comfortable.  Our 
camping  site  is  ideal,  situated  on  a  high  bluff, 
twenty  feet  above  the  water  line,  and  with 
inlets  on  three  sides,  we  get  the  full  benefit  of 
the  fresh  trades  that  are  ever  with  us.  Guard 
mount  entertained  us  at  five.  The  massed 
bands  of  all  the  ships  in  camp  furnished  the 


92  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

music,  while  the  marines  and  a  section  of  sail- 
ors from  each  battalion  went  through  the  usual 
routine. 

MONDAY,  FEBRUARY  21  ST. 

In  the  tropics  the  days  may  be  hot,  fiercely 
hot,  but  our  first  night  on  shore  proved  to  us 
conclusively  that  between  sundown  and  sun- 
rise the  temperature  undergoes  a  marked 
change.  A  sudden  breeze  seemed  to  spring  up 
from  the  sea,  the  coolness  of  the  night  air 
almost  chilled  us  and  we  thanked  our  stars 
that  we  had  listened  to  the  advice  of  our  elders 
when  they  urged  double  blankets  for  the 
sojourn  on  shore. 

My  dreams  were  interrupted  by  the  unwel- 
come sound  of  reveille.  Five  buglers  were 
sounding  the  imperative  command.  And  alas,  it 
had  to  be  obeyed.  So  I  jumped  up,  and  joined 
the  crowd  that  was  making  towards  the  boat- 
landing  for  the  morning  swim  in  the  refreshing 
waters  of  the  bay.  It  was  still  night.  The 
heavens  were  filled  with  stars,  the  moon  was 
shining  brightly.  It  was  only  five  o'clock! 
There  was  a  certain  fascination  about  this 
early  rising  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and 
seeing  the  gradual  awakening  and  stir  of  the 
camp.  Breakfast  was  eaten  by  lamplight. 


SEEN   FROM 
FORETOP.      THE 
COLLIER  HECTOR 
ALONGSIDE  THE 
KANSAS 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  93 

But  by  the  time  the  start  was  made  for  the 
range  the  sun  was  up,  and  it  had  begun  to  get 
warm.  All  day  long,  from  seven  in  the  morn- 
ing until  sunset,  we  were  on  the  rifle-  and 
pistol-ranges.  About  five  hundred  were  shoot- 
ing at  one  time,  while  as  many  more  were  doing 
duty  as  markers  and  scorers.  The  firing  was 
incessant;  you  might  almost  have  imagined  a 
battle  in  progress.  Over  the  hills,  not  half  a 
mile  away,  the  New  Jersey's  field  guns  were 
booming  on  the  artillery  range,  while  near  by  a 
detachment  from  one  of  the  other  divisions 
was  being  run  on  the  skirmish  range.  It  was 
realistic,  to  say  the  least. 

TUESDAY,  FEBRUARY  22ND. 

Washington's  Birthday  entitled  us  to  a  holi- 
day, so  we  rose  an  hour  later  than  usual  and 
omitted  all  routine  work.  It  was  a  real  day 
off.  The  ships  were  dressed  shortly  after 
colors,  while  at  noon  a  national  salute  was 
fired  to  commemorate  the  occasion.  As  there 
was  nothing  to  keep  us  in  camp,  the  Surgeon 
and  I  shouldered  our  shotguns  and  went  out  in 
search  of  some  game.  Unfortunately,  however, 
we  did  not  get  started  until  well  after  seven, 
thanks  to  the  late  breakfast,  so  that  by  the  time 


94  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

we  struck  the  trail  back  of  the  range  most  of 
the  birds  had  already  left  it.  Our  route  lay 
through  thickly  grown  country,  with  the  usual 
tall  grass  and  small  trees.  For  three  miles 
the  way  was  comparatively  easy.  But  once 
beyond  the  reservation  boundary  fence,  the 
trail  became  indistinguishable  and  we  found 
ourselves  lost  in  the  midst  of  a  jungle  of  grass 
and  cactus.  Yet  we  pushed  on.  A  salt  water 
lake,  some  miles  further,  where  guinea  hens 
were  said  to  abound,  was  too  great  a  temptation 
to  resist.  But  we  arrived  on  the  scene  too  late ; 
the  sun  was  already  high  in  the  heavens,  the 
birds  had  retired  for  the  midday  siesta,  and 
although  we  tried  our  best  to  scare  them  up, 
they  refused  to  come  out  of  their  hiding-places, 
and  we  were  forced  to  swallow  our  disappoint- 
ment and  retrace  our  steps  down  the  trail.  It 
was  a  weary  plod  back  to  camp,  but  once  there 
a  good  swim  in  the  cool  waters  of  the  bay  and 
a  hearty  meal  revived  our  drooping  spirits,  and 
inspired  us  with  tales  that  would  have  made 
our  listeners  gaze  in  wonder,  had  we  but  had 
the  evidence  to  prove  our  veracity. 

In  the  afternoon  the  weather  changed  mark- 
edly from  what  it  had  been  in  the  morn.  A 
gale  of  wind  sprang  up,  the  air  became  cold 
and  chilly,  and  winter  seemed  at  hand.  But 


"mm 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  95 

undaunted  by  the  elements,  marines  and  blue- 
jackets made  their  best  of  the  memorable  day. 
Sports  of  all  kinds  were  indulged  in.  There 
were  track  games,  boat  races,  swimming  con- 
tests, and  ball  games.  Hundreds  took  part 
in  the  contests,  while  those  who  had  not  entered 
cheered  them  on  to  better  efforts  and  lent  a 
picturesqueness  to  the  scene  that  was  indeed 
unique.  The  hillocks  about  the  diamonds  were 
white  with  officers  and  men,  while  the  base- 
lines were  crowded  with  the  sympathizers  of 
the  two  teams.  Everyone  was  there.  And  the 
interest  never  flagged.  The  greatest  attrac- 
tion, however,  proved  to  be  the  ball  game 
between  the  teams  of  the  Nebraska  and  New 
Hampshire,  which  at  present  lead  their  respec- 
tive squadron  leagues.  And  what  a  bully 
game  they  played.  Brilliant  plays  followed  in 
such  rapid  succession  that  the  spectators  were 
kept  on  their  feet  and  cheering  to  the  echo. 
It  was  wonderful  ball,  of  league  caliber,  and 
anyone's  game  until  the  last  man  had  been 
thrown  out. 

WEDNESDAY,  FEBRUARY  23RD. 

Work  started  again  in  real   earnest,   and 
after  an  early  rising   and  hearty  breakfast 


96  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

everyone  proceeded  to  the  range  for  the  day's 
firing.  The  person  who  discovered  this  place 
and  decided  upon  its  merits  certainly  deserves 
much  credit.  It  is  the  natural  site  for  a 
small-arms  target  range,  and  even  if  a  select- 
tion  had  been  considered,  none  better  could 
have  been  chosen.  There  are  approximately 
three  hundred  targets,  for  all  ranges,  from  two 
hundred  to  a  thousand  yards  for  rifle  firing, 
and  fifteen  to  fifty  yards  for  pistol  practice. 
Then  there  are  skirmish  ranges  and  artillery 
ranges,  which  cost  only  the  expense  of  con- 
structing the  butts,  targets  and  pits.  And  the 
result  has  been  the  finest  small-arms  target 
range  in  the  world. 

It  is  to  use  this  range  to  its  utmost  capacity 
that  the  fleet  makes  such  a  prolonged  stay  in 
these  waters.  All  day  long,  hundreds  of  offi- 
cers and  men  may  be  seen  practicing  under  the 
broiling  sun,  bent  on  bettering  their  score  and 
apparently  oblivious  to  the  heat.  In  this  way 
the  men  are  given  the  finest  training  they  pos- 
sibly could  have,  and  it  has  been  a  pleasure 
to  observe  the  spirit  which  characterizes  their 
work. 

Then  in  the  afternoon  the  Admiral  came 
ashore,  and  the  range  was  converted  into  a 
parade  ground  and  battlefield.  For  hours  the 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  97 

inspection  continued.  First  a  review,  in  the 
most  approved  style;  then  drills  and  exercises 
innumerable,  and  finally  a  thrilling  sham  bat- 
tle, which  proved  anything  but  tame.  It  was 
truly  inspiring,  and  I  must  say  that  I  fully 
agreed  with  the  inspecting  officer  who  ex- 
pressed the  opinion  that  the  men  had  "batted 
the  eye  out  of  the  inspection." 

FRIDAY,  FEBRUARY  25TH. 

On  the  firing  line  all  was  serious  to-day,  as 
record  firing  was  being  held.  The  instruction 
period  has  now  passed,  and  henceforth  every 
score  counts.  Of  course  this  means  increased 
interest.  And  no  wonder,  for  it  means  addi- 
tional credit  to  the  ship,  and  besides  a  chance 
for  good  prize  money  for  those  making  the 
best  scores.  "Bull's-eyes"  became  more  fre- 
quent, "fours"  and  "threes"  also  increased  in 
number,  but  the  "swabos"  (as  the  men  have 
termed  the  misses,  because  the  waving  of  the 
disks  by  the  markers  reminded  them  of  swab- 
bing the  decks),  alas,  still  come  in  for  their 
share  of  curses. 

The  latest  "dope"  regarding  the  future 
movements  of  the  fleet  is  that  we  go  north 
on  March  25th  for  target  practice  on  the 


98  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

Southern  Drill  Grounds.  And  this  because 
those  obstinate  target-rafts  refuse  to  allow 
themselves  to  be  towed  into  tropical  waters. 
It  seems  an  impossible  task.  Several  have 
already  been  lost  in  transit  and  it  appears  that 
were  we  to  persist  in  waiting  for  the  full  num- 
ber to  appear  we  should  have  to  sit  here  kick- 
ing our  heels  for  the  next  few  seasons  at  least. 
And  then  the  Admiral  has  just  made  the 
remarkable  discovery  that  the  sea  in  these 
waters  is  entirely  too  smooth  for  our  purposes. 
Several  of  the  ships  have  searched  the  Wind- 
ward Passage  in  vain  attempts  to  get  enough 
roll  and  pitch,  until  the  Ordnance  Officers  have 
become  disgusted.  So  the  upshot  of  it  all  is 
that  we  will  leave  these  warm  climes  for  the 
stormy  capes  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia. 
No  one  seems  particularly  enthusiastic  over 
the  programme  as  amended.  We  had  quite  a 
heated  discussion  about  it  at  dinner  to-day, 
during  the  course  of  which  much  was  said  on 
both  sides.  As  far  as  I  can  make  out  no  one 
wants  to  leave  this  place,  yet  none  want  to 
have  to  remain  here  longer,  with  the  result  that 
no  one  is  satisfied  and  all  are  grumbling.  Yet 
was  there  ever  a  sailor  that  did  not  grumble? 
Just  ask  a  bluejacket  what  he  thinks  of  the 
Navy,  and  he'll  start  a  yarn  that  will  make  you 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  99 

think  it's  the  worst  place  in  the  world;  but  the 
minute  he's  out  of  the  service  he  will  have 
nothing  but  praise  for  it  and  won't  be  happy 
again  until  he  has  re- enlisted.  And  I  can 
frankly  say,  that  grumble  as  they  may,  I  have 
not  yet  met  a  single  one  who  regretted  his 
enlistment  or  would  give  up  the  experience. 

SUNDAY,  FEBRUARY  27TH. 

Wind  and  dust  have  been  our  two  chief 
entertainers  to-day.  A  thirty-mile  gale  suc- 
ceeded the  peace  and  quiet  of  the  night.  The 
bay  is  covered  with  whitecaps, — a  most  un- 
usual sight, — and  here  on  shore!  Before  the 
blow  had  developed  its  full  force  I  went  with 
several  officers  to  the  Club  for  some  tennis,  but 
the  first  game  discouraged  all  further  attempts. 
We  stayed  indoors  after  that;  the  building 
fairly  shook  before  the  force  of  the  agitated 
zephyrs,  and  when  we  finally  made  up  our 
minds  to  return  to  camp  we  were  quite  pre- 
pared to  find  everything  there  blown  out  of 
sight.  And  that  was  literally  true.  For 
though  not  a  tent  had  gone  down,  all  our  pre- 
cious possessions  within  were  buried  beneath 
inches  of  dust. 


100  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

MONDAY,  FEBRUARY  28TH. 

Perhaps  the  one  thing  that  impresses  the 
average  visitor  the  most  on  first  treading  the 
deck  of  an  American  man-o'-war  is  the  atmos- 
phere of  cleanliness  and  comfort  that  charac- 
terizes every  part  of  the  ship.  The  men  all 
seem  to  have  a  taste  for  cleanliness;  nor  has 
any  effort  been  spared  for  giving  them  an 
opportunity  of  satisfying  their  desires  in  this 
matter.  Forward  on  the  gun-deck  are  spacious 
baths  and  showers,  which  leave  nothing  to  be 
desired  in  simplicity  and  usefulness.  And  by 
the  time  the  men  have  been  at  sea  a  month  the 
lesson  has  been  so  well  learned  that  it  is  never 
forgotten.  But  I  must  say  that  I  never  sus- 
pected how  very  particular  they  were  about  it 
until  we  went  into  camp  on  shore.  How  they 
manage  to  keep  so  immaculately  clean  amidst 
the  dust  and  dirt  or  find  time  during  the  busy 
hours  of  the  day  no  one  knows.  Yet  they 
always  seemed  to  find  a  spare  moment  to  scrub 
their  "whites"  with  soap  and  water,  until  you 
almost  believed  it  to  be  their  favorite  pastime. 
In  fact,  the  only  ground  for  complaint  on  their 
part  while  we  have  been  here  was  that  one  day 
they  were  not  permitted  to  scrub  their  clothes, 
and  it  was  amusing  to  see  how  uneasy  they 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  101 

were,  even  though  they  had  been  assured  that 
due  allowance  would  be  made  for  soiled  clothes. 

TUESDAY,  MARCH  IST. 

This  morning  the  companies  of  the  regiment 
held  collective  firing,  which  made  an  awful 
racket  and  used  up  more  ammunition.  In  all 
each  ship  will  have  used  up  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
rounds,  or  a  total  of  three  and  a  half  million 
rounds  for  the  entire  fleet!  I  suppose  that 
future  generations  will  discover  a  lead  mine 
in  the  hills  back  of  the  range. 

WEDNESDAY,  MARCH  2ND. 

This  has  been  our  last  day  of  camp,  for  to- 
morrow we  return  on  board  once  more.  Sorry? 
Well,  I  should  say  so, — though  the  wind  and 
dust  will  not  be  much  missed.  As  usual  we 
were  on  the  range  trying  to  improve  our 
scores  of  the  past  week.  Everyone  was  on  the 
firing  line,  and  it  was  a  pleasure  to  see  the  keen 
interest  shown  on  all  sides.  The  men  appar- 
ently have  appreciated  the  wonderful  oppor- 
tunity at  hand ;  few  have  failed  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  excellent  instruction  which  the 
officers  have  been  only  too  willing  to  give  them, 


102  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

so  that  the  results  have  been  more  than  satis- 
factory, and  the  number  of  qualifications 
greater  than  ever  before. 

THURSDAY,  MARCH  3RD. 

This  has  been  a  sad  day  for  the  Kansas. 
The  flagship  beat  us  in  a  boat  race  this  morn- 
ing and  took  all  our  money  away  from  us. 
This  is  a  severe  blow  to  our  financial  aspira- 
tions, as  only  last  week  we  suffered  a  severe 
defeat  at  the  hands  of  the  Mississippi's  base- 
ball team;  but  it  was  a  beautiful  race,  and 
though  we  did  lose  we  had  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  our  crew  had  put  up  a  good 
fight.  The  race  started  at  the  stroke  of  seven 
bells,  and  was  held  over  the  regular  three-mile 
course  between  the  lines  of  squadrons  with  the 
finish  near  the  two  flagships.  Both  boats  got 
a  good  start,  with  ours  slightly  in  the  lead  for 
the  first  two  miles.  As  they  neared  this  ship 
they  were  greeted  with  enthusiasm,  the  steam 
launches  following  tooted  the  ship's  distin- 
guishing letters  with  their  whistles,  while  our 
signal  boys  on  the  bridge  hoisted  the  flags  "S 
Affirmative"  and  "F  Negative,"  meaning  that 
we  were  ahead  while  the  Connecticut  trailed 
behind.  To  this  the  flagship  replied  by  revers- 
ing the  message,  and  as  it  turned  out  in  the 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  103 

end,  her  prediction  proved  the  better,  for  at 
the  last  spurt  her  boat  nosed  out  ours.  It  was 
a  hard  race  to  lose.  But  the  losers  lost  well, 
and  there  is  nothing  that  Jack  admires  more 
than  a  good  sport. 

At  two  we  broke  camp.  Of  course  we  were 
sorry,  but  it  was  nice  to  get  on  board  once  more 
and  settled  in  our  old  home.  The  cheerfulness 
with  which  the  men  worked  after  their  return 
was  truly  remarkable.  The  hard  morning  on 
the  range,  followed  by  all  the  trouble  of  break- 
ing camp,  took  away  none  of  the  will  with  which 
they  usually  performed  their  work.  They 
passed  up  the  hammocks  in  a  style  that  would 
have  made  the  most  accomplished  medicine-ball 
player  green  with  envy,  and  when  everything 
was  stowed  away,  set  to  washing  their  clothes 
as  if  the  day's  work  had  only  just  begun. 

FRIDAY,  MARCH  4TH. 

Sports,  sports,  nothing  but  sports.  Four 
days  of  uninterrupted  pleasure  is  to  be  our 
reward  for  the  two  months  of  faithful  work 
that  have  just  ended.  An  exhaustive  pro- 
gramme has  been  prepared  by  the  Admiral, 
and  we  now  shall  have  an  opportunity  of 
squaring  old  scores  with  our  rivals  on  the 
other  ships.  But  of  all  the  sports,  boat  racing 


104  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

is  the  one  that,  as  usual,  will  arouse  the  greatest 
interest.  It  is  the  time-honored  sport  of  the 
Navy,  and,  as  such,  a  never-ending  theme  of 
discussion  and  rivalry.  For  months  the  ships 
have  been  preparing  for  the  events.  Each 
afternoon,  after  the  day's  work  was  done,  the 
race-boat  crews,  under  the  vigorous  direction 
of  the  coxswains,  have  been  going  through 
courses  of  gymnastics  which  to  the  ordinary 
man  would  be  an  exhausting  day's  work,  after 
which  they  would  leave  the  ship  for  a  few 
hours'  pull  around  the  fleet.  And  now  the  true 
test  of  those  hours  of  preparation  was  at  hand. 
The  entire  morning  was  devoted  to  the  first 
of  the  pulling  races  in  competition  for  the 
"Gilded  Rooster"  trophy,  which  the  Navy 
Department  annually  awards  to  the  ship  mak- 
ing the  best  record  in  that  branch  of  athletics 
during  Sports  Week.  "The  Gilded  Rooster!" 
What  a  strange  emblem!  And  well  may  the 
layman  wonder  at  its  significance,  for  its  true 
meaning  lies  hidden  in  one  of  those  traditions 
of  the  service  that  are  dear  to  every  officer  and 
bluejacket.  When  the  custom  began,  I  know 
not,  but  an  English  officer,  writing  in  the  early 
part  of  the  last  century,  mentioned  it  in  con- 
nection with  squadron  competitions,  and  from 
that  account  I  gathered  how  the  great  ambi- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  105 

tion  of  every  ship  of  the  Old  Navy  had  always 
been  to  be  the  one  to  hoist  the  cock  to  the  fore- 
truck  as  an  emblem  of  victory.  Each  vessel 
carried  a  real  live  one  in  a  hen-coop  on  the 
spar-deck,  ready  to  be  hoisted  at  a  moment's 
notice ;  and  when  any  evolution  was  performed, 
the  first  to  complete  successfully  the  exercise 
was  sure  to  have  the  unhappy  fowl  at  the  fore, 
where  its  furious  flutterings  would  announce 
to  the  world  her  proud  distinction  and  vaunt 
her  claim  of  being  a  "smart"  ship. 

But  to  come  back  to  modern  times,  this 
trophy  now  rewards  the  ship  which  at  the 
annual  sports  scores  the  greatest  number  of 
points  in  the  pulling  races,  the  points  being 
awarded  to  the  first  three  boats  in  each  of 
the  following  contests:  (1)  Sailing  launches, 
(2)  cutters,  twelve-oared,  deck- force,  (3)  cut- 
ters, twelve-oared,  engineers,  (4)  cutters, 
twelve-oared,  marines,  ( 5 )  whaleboats,  twelve- 
oared,  selected  crews,  and  (6)  racing  cutters, 
selected  crews, — all  the  boats  being  rowed 
under  service  conditions. 

Hardly  had  the  sun  risen,  when  prepara- 
tions for  the  great  day  were  under  way,  and  at 
the  appointed  time  all  the  boats  were  gathered 
near  the  starting  line  off  Fisherman's  Point. 
The  course  lay  up  the  bay;  one  mile  from  the 


106  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

start  were  the  first  stakeboats,  anchored  be- 
tween the  Vermont  and  Virginia,  while  one 
mile  further,  at  the  head  of  the  line  of  squad- 
rons, was  the  finish.  The  cheering  and  excite- 
ment were  intense  as  the  boats  passed  between 
the  ships.  At  times  it  was  impossible  to  tell 
which  was  in  the  lead.  As  each  ship  was 
passed,  signal  flags  were  run  up  the  yards 
giving  the  order  of  the  first  three  boats,  and 
never  were  the  same  three  displayed  twice  in 
the  same  order  by  any  ship  in  the  fleet.  It  was 
a  question  of  "anyone's  race"  till  the  line  had 
been  crossed. 

I  cannot  say  that  we  won  many  races.  In 
fact,  we  came  in  second  but  once,  and  third 
twice.  But,  though  victory  did  not  come  our 
way,  we  had  the  great  satisfaction  of  effec- 
tively beating  our  old  and  hated  rival,  the 
Connecticut,  each  and  every  time,  which  has 
been  a  great  solace  in  our  disappointment. 
The  Minnesota  had  no  difficulty  in  winning  the 
trophy;  she  led  the  fleet  the  whole  morning; 
and  now  she  boasts  her  prowess  before  the 
assembled  ships-of-war  and  is  the  proud  pos- 
sessor of  that  coveted  trophy,  the  "Gilded 
Rooster!" 

The  afternoon  was  devoted  to  swimming 
races  and  sailing  contests.  The  bay  was  full 


I 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  107 

of  sailing  craft  and  boats  of  all  kinds  and 
sizes;  launches,  cutters,  whaleboats  and  din- 
ghies. The  strictest  rules  governed  the  after- 
noon's sports  and  every  formality  was  observed 
as  in  Ocean  Cup  Races.  For  Navy  men  still 
talk  of  the  times  when  they  raced  under  less 
stringent  regulations,  when  the  boats  were 
required  to  carry  "regulation  rig"  up  to  the 
starting  line  only,  and  how  the  Kentucky's 
launch,  one  fine  day,  suddenly  hoisted  sails  of 
all  sorts,  including  a  pitch  black  coaling  awn- 
ing, and  walked  away  from  the  rest  of  the  con- 
testants. And  of  course  she  could  not  be 
disqualified,  as  she  had  carried  the  "regulation 
rig"  up  to  the  starting  line,  and  nothing  in 
the  rules  prevented  her  adopting  other  tactics 
once  she  had  entered  the  course. 

SATURDAY,  MARCH  5TH. 

The  morning  was  again  given  over  to  pull- 
ing races,  this  time  for  the  Pensacola  Cup, 
which  was  presented  to  the  fleet  in  1904  by  the 
citizens  of  Pensacola,  Florida.  There  were 
four  contests,  in  cutters,  whaleboats,  gigs,  and 
dinghies,  and  we  won  the  third  to  our  great 
surprise.  It  was  a  walk-a-way.  But  none  the 
less  the  winners  were  rousingly  cheered  by  all 


108  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

the  ships,  and  enthusiastically  greeted  on  their 
return  to  the  Kansas. 

Then  in  the  afternoon  we  were  treated  to  the 
usual  baseball  games,  while  on  the  target 
range  a  fleet  match  between  officers'  teams  was 
being  held  for  the  championship  of  the  Navy, 
and  in  the  evening  the  successful  day  was 
brought  to  a  brilliant  close  by  a  splendid 
Entertainment  and  Smoker  on  board  the  Idaho. 

SUNDAY,  MARCH  GTH. 

This  was  our  gala  day  for  sports.  Five 
important  races  in  the  morning  and  six  base- 
ball games  in  the  afternoon  filled  every  hour 
of  daylight  with  excitement  for  both  partici- 
pants and  onlookers.  The  first  event  was  a 
one-mile  boat  race  between  officers'  crews  in 
cutters.  We  turned  out  a  worthy  aggrega- 
tion, representative  of  every  rank  on  board. 
The  Executive  rowed  the  bow-oar,  then  came 
the  Navigator,  then  the  ensigns,  and  warrant 
officers,  and  lastly  the  midshipmen.  Of  course 
no  one  had  made  any  preparation  for  the  con- 
test ;  many  had  not  handled  an  oar  in  months ; 
some  were  good  and  others  poor;  but  all  went 
into  it  for  the  fun  of  it,  and  once  the  race  had 
begun,  pulled  for  all  they  were  worth,  and 
when  it  was  over,  declared  that  they  felt  years 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  109 

younger  for  it.  The  crews  rowed  a  splendid 
race,  and  at  the  finish  rushed  across  the  line  in 
such  rapid  succession  that  all  claimed  the  vic- 
tory. In  fact,  even  among  the  spectators  few 
were  certain  who  had  really  won,  until  the 
judges  announced  their  verdict.  Then  we 
knew  that  our  boat  had  come  in  third.  That 
was  not  very  good,  in  our  opinion,  yet  there 
was  some  consolation  in  store  for  us  in  the  fact 
that  we  had  once  more  beaten  the  flagship. 

After  this  the  men  resumed  their  struggles 
for  supremacy,  and  nobly  did  they  try  to  bring 
victory  to  their  respective  ships.  First  of  all 
came  the  contest  for  the  Belmont  Challenge 
Cup,  in  which  the  crews  were  composed  of  first 
enlistment  men  of  the  deck  forces;  then  fol- 
lowed the  Drexel  Challenge  Cup  races  for 
enlisted  men  in  the  regulation  racing  cutters; 
next  came  the  Dunlap  Challenge  Cup  race 
between  crews  of  marines  from  twelve  of  the 
ships;  while  last,  and  most  important,  came 
the  race  for  the  Battenberg  Squadron  Chal- 
lenge Cup,  which  the  men  of  the  British  Sec- 
ond Cruiser  Squadron  under  Rear  Admiral 
H.  S.  H.  Prince  Louis  of  Battenberg,  R.  N., 
presented  to  the  Atlantic  Fleet  in  May,  1906, 
on  the  occasion  of  their  visit  to  American 
waters. 


110  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

All  day  long  the  races  continued,  and  all 
day  long  the  men  crowded  ships'  sides  in  their 
eagerness  to  see  the  sports.  Signal  flags  flut- 
tered from  every  signal-yard,  indicating  the 
position  of  the  boats  as  each  ship  was  passed; 
whistles  tooted  encouragement  to  the  strug- 
gling crews;  and  when,  after  the  races,  the 
boats  returned  to  their  ships,  cheers  greeted 
them  that  expressed  better  than  words  how 
much  their  efforts  had  been  appreciated. 

TUESDAY,  MARCH  STH. 

This  has  been  another  coaling  day  for  us,  but 
we  had  had  due  warning  of  the  collier's  arrival, 
so  the  crew  started  early  and  by  noon  had  the 
necessary  1140  tons  of  black  dust  aboard. 
Then  followed  that  awful  session  of  cleaning 
ship,  which  I  had  already  learned  to  dread. 
So  I  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity,  when 
no  one  was  looking,  of  going  up  the  foremast, 
where  I  at  last  found  a  dry  spot,  safe  from  the 
streams  of  water  that  played  below.  And  I 
chose  the  moment  when  none  observed  me  for 
the  reason  that  one's  first  ascension  is  always 
a  trying  experience;  for  they  say  that  a  boat- 
swain's mate  usually  follows  the  unsuspecting 
novice  aloft,  lashes  him  to  the  ladder  ere  he 
has  reached  the  top,  and  releases  him  only 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  111 

when  he  has  served  his  time  and  has  promised 
to  pay  the  customary  toll  of  a  case  of  beer  for 
the  watch  below.  But  this  was  coaling  day; 
everyone  had  to  work,  and  I  felt  reasonably 
safe  in  attempting  the  perilous  ascent.  It  was 
a  stiff  climb  up  the  wet  and  slippery  rungs  of 
the  swinging  chain  ladders;  the  hot  murkiness 
issuing  from  the  mouths  of  the  three  great 
funnels  almost  choked  me  as  I  reached  the 
second  netting;  but  I  was  almost  there,  and  in 
a  few  moments  I  clambered,  breathless  and  a 
little  dizzy,  into  the  small  platform  that  crowns 
the  eminence  of  this  fire-control  station.  Then, 
in  a  moment,  the  beauty  of  that  panorama 
spreading  out  in  every  direction  of  the  compass 
dawned  upon  me.  I  fain  would  have  remained 
there  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  But  mess-call 
sounded,  and,  as  usual,  it  became  a  question  of 
"duty"  before  pleasure. 

FRIDAY,  MARCH  HTH. 

Mail  day,  but  oh !  no  mail  yet.  It  must  have 
taken  a  side  trip  on  the  island.  Still  we  have 
hopes  for  the  morrow.  As  usual,  gunnery 
drills  were  the  order  of  the  day,  and  loading 
drills  and  "dotter"  practice  occupied  every- 
one's time. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


SATURDAY,  MARCH  12TH. 

For  two  days  the  Wisconsin  has  been  at  sea 
in  search  of  waters  in  which  she  might  find 
the  required  roll  and  pitch  in  order  to  hold 
her  spring  target  practice,  before  returning 
home  to  go  out  of  commission.  But  not  a  rip- 
ple would  disturb  the  glassy  surface  of  the 
Caribbean,  and  after  cruising  for  forty-eight 
hours  in  the  Windward  Passage  without  being 
able  to  fire  a  shot,  she  returned  here  to  await  a 
change  in  the  weather,  which  the  obliging 
weather  prophets  seem  inclined  to  promise. 

How  different  this  is  from  the  methods  pur- 
sued in  the  good  old  times  !  And  what  a  tran- 
sition from  the  gunnery  of  only  a  few  years 
ago!  In  those  days  it  was  practically  all 
smooth-sea  firing;  target  practice  was  looked 
upon  as  mere  drudgery  ;  no  one  took  any  inter- 
est in  it;  and  besides  it  only  dirtied  the  decks, 
blackened  the  paint-work,  and  was  a  general 
nuisance,  which  the  men  were  heartily  glad  to 
be  rid  of.  But  now  all  that  has  changed. 
Criticisms  that  had  long  been  unheeded  at  last 
were  listened  to;  every  attention  was  given  to 
even  the  slightest  suggestion;  and  the  result 
was  the  present  system,  which  has  done  so 
much  to  improve  the  marksmanship  of  the  gun- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  113 

ners  of  our  Navy  and  stimulate  their  enthu- 
siasm and  interest  in  their  work. 

SUNDAY,  MARCH  13TH. 

To-day  was  Ladies'  Day.  We  had  had  the 
news  ahead  of  time,  so  when  the  members  of 
the  fair  sex  arrived  on  the  scene  we  were  ready 
for  them.  They  were  on  board  the  Royal 
Mail  Line  Steamer  Avon,  which  takes  some 
three  hundred  tourists  annually  on  a  cruise  in 
the  West  Indies.  But  their  visit  to  this  place 
was  a  most  unusual  occurrence,  for  as  a  rule 
none  may  enter  these  waters  except  by  special 
permission  of  the  Navy  Department.  Only 
the  evening  before  last  a  steam  yacht  flying  a 
New  York  Yacht  Club  signal  anchored  in  the 
bay  for  the  night,  but  she  was  allowed  to 
remain  only  until  dawn,  and  at  the  break  of 
day  made  haste  to  get  under  way  in  obedience 
to  the  Admiral's  mandate.  But  to  return  to 
the  main  theme, — at  ten  the  Avon  appeared 
off  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  and  within  a  short 
time  was  on  her  way  to  the  anchorage  which 
had  been  assigned  to  her  for  this  fleeting  visit. 
Hardly  had  she  dropped  her  mud-hook,  when 
we  had  our  steamers  alongside  and  eager  mid- 
shipmen clambered  up  the  gangways  to  bring 
our  guests  off  to  us.  Then,  as  they  came 


114  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

aboard,  the  Captain  met  them  and  extended 
a  friendly  greeting;  the  officers  showed  them 
about  the  ship,  while  the  sailors  vied  with  each 
other  in  helping  to  make  their  visit  as  agree- 
able as  possible.  One  damsel  started  up  the 
mast;  another  got  a  piece  of  pie  fresh  from 
the  bakery;  no  place  was  too  difficult  of  access 
for  them  to  find  their  way  into  it.  But  what 
they  evidently  appreciated  more  than  anything 
else  were  the  files  of  newspapers  we  presented 
to  them,  for  since  early  February  they  had  had 
no  mail  or  news  of  home.  Their  ship  had  been 
ahead  of  her  regular  schedule  all  the  time,  and, 
of  course,  just  missed  the  courier  at  every  port. 
Our  welcome  visitors  stayed  with  us  only  about 
two  hours.  Shortly  after  one,  the  Avon  sig- 
nalled her  impatience  to  be  off,  and  the  impera- 
tive summons  was  not  of  a  nature  to  be 
disregarded. 

SATURDAY,  MARCH  19TH. 

To-day  the  Wisconsin,  Yankton,  and  two 
colliers  left  us, — the  first  to  go  out  of  commis- 
sion, as  her  officers  and  men  are  needed  to  man 
the  new  Delaware,  while  the  colliers  are  bound 
for  Hampton  Roads  in  search  of  more  coal 
for  the  fleet's  coming  manoeuvres. 


THE  KANSAS'S  MAINMAST 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  115 

In  the  morning  the  Minnesota  and  Georgia 
held  a  three-mile  race  between  their  race-boat 
crews.  The  rivalry  between  the  two  has  always 
been  keen,  especially  since  the  latter's  boat 
won  the  laurels  in  the  last  regatta,  and  the 
Minnesota's  men  have  been  awaiting  their 
chance  to  win  back  their  lost  prestige.  So  to 
prove  their  confidence  they  last  week  chal- 
lenged their  rival  to  another  test  over  the 
three-mile  course,  and  offered  to  back  their 
boat  with  all  the  cash  they  could  lay  their  hands 
on.  It  was  a  beautiful  race ;  both  crews  rowed 
superbly;  but  after  the  first  two  miles  it  was 
a  foregone  conclusion  that  the  Georgia  would 
win,  and  once  more  did  the  unfortunate  Minne- 
sota's crew  taste  the  bitterness  of  defeat. 

Then  in  the  afternoon  the  Nebraska  and 
New  Hampshire  crossed  bats  on  the  baseball 
diamond  for  the  championship  of  the  fleet. 
Everyone  that  could  get  ashore  was  there  to 
see  the  exciting  contest,  and  none  certainly  had 
reason  to  feel  disappointed.  The  field  was 
filled  to  overflowing.  And  as  for  the  game, 
it  was  a  corker.  Eleven  innings  long, — truly 
exhausting  for  the  spectator,  as  we  were  con- 
tinually brought  to  our  feet  by  some  brilliant 
play.  In  the  end  the  Nebraska  won,  just  as 
the  sun  was  setting,  on  a  home  run,  after  two 


116  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

men  were  out!  Then  pandemonium  broke 
loose.  You  might  have  imagined  yourself  on 
Franklin  Field  after  a  Navy  victory.  The 
Nebraska's  band  headed  the  procession  back 
to  the  boats,  and  to  bring  the  day  to  a  fitting 
and  successful  close  we  reached  our  ships  just 
in  time  to  escape  a  drenching  thunder  shower 
that  had  been  threatening  in  the  west. 

SUNDAY,,  MARCH  20TH. 

The  call  of  the  wild  once  more  lured  us  to 
the  Cuban  jungle,  so  we  made  an  early  start 
and  in  the  course  of  the  mid  watch  left  the  ship 
on  our  quest  just  as  the  ship's  bells  struck 
eight.  There  were  four  of  us, — the  Navigator, 
the  Ordnance  Officer,  the  Paymaster,  and  I,— 
and  our  objective  was  Lake  Manati,  at  the 
head  of  Joa  Bay,  where  many  officers  and  men 
from  the  fleet  had  already  been  in  search  of  the 
happy  hunting  ground.  They  usually  went  up 
about  four  and  hunted  until  sunset,  camped  for 
the  night,  and  then  wound  up  the  twenty-four 
hours'  outing  with  a  forenoon  session.  But 
we,  unfortunately,  could  not  absent  ourselves 
that  long.  Half  a  day  was  all  the  leave  we 
could  get  at  this  time,  so  we  decided  to  make 
the  best  of  our  poor  bargain,  and  started  out 
some  two  hours  before  sunrise,  which  brought 


I 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  117 

us  to  the  lake  in  plenty  of  time  for  the  sport. 
Once  on  shore,  we  promptly  lost  our  way,  for 
which  we  naturally  blamed  inaccurate  charts; 
but  as  luck  would  have  it,  we  were  not  long  left 
in  doubt  as  to  the  proper  place  to  find  game,  for 
no  sooner  had  we  wandered  ten  yards  from 
the  water's  edge  than  we  scared  up  a  dozen 
marsh  hens.  Four  fell  before  the  well-aimed 
volley  that  followed  their  attempt  at  escape. 
That  was  encouraging  enough  for  a  beginning. 
Only  we  were  not  destined  to  retrieve  all  that 
had  fallen.  The  entire  region  seemed  inter- 
sected by  deep  water  channels  which  barred 
all  progress,  while  the  treacherous  footing 
afforded  by  the  saltwater  marshes  confined  our 
operations  to  a  restricted  territory  which  was 
not  at  all  within  the  bounds  of  our  ardor. 
However,  we  pressed  on,  and  at  last  found  the 
coveted  stands  of  which  we  had  heard  so  much. 
Then  came  sunrise,  and  with  it  birds  by 
the  hundred.  Shot  after  shot  rang  out  until 
our  supply  of  shells  was  almost  exhausted.  By 
this  time,  also,  the  morning  was  well  advanced, 
our  watches  indicated  eight  o'clock,  and  we  had 
to  call  a  halt.  But  we  had  secured  a  good  share 
of  the  spoils,  and  for  the  next  few  days  the 
mess  menus  included  such  delicacies  as  goose, 
marsh  hens,  snipe  and  duck. 


118  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

The  men,  too,  had  their  share  of  fun  during 
the  day,  for  shortly  before  our  return  on  board 
countless  liberty  parties  had  left  for  the  inland 
city  to  attend  the  Kermess  that  annually 
enlivens  Guantanamo  about  this  time.  They 
apparently  had  a  glorious  time.  Everyone 
returned  in  the  happiest  mood;  not  a  few 
brought  souvenirs  and  mementos  of  the  occa- 
sion; and  some  even  came  back  with  dogs  and 
cats  and  goats,  which  the  Captain  was  "gra- 
ciously pleased"  to  allow  to  be  enrolled  as 
members  of  the  ship's  official  mascot  family. 

MONDAY,  MARCH  21sT. 

More  gunnery  training  was  the  order  of  the 
day.  The  men  seem  to  do  better  as  they  be- 
come more  experienced,  and  more  keen  to 
improve  and  get  ahead  of  the  other  fellow. 
Consequently,  there  has  been  much  rivalry 
between  the  several  gun-crews,  and  a  spirit  of 
competition  has  sprung  up  that  is  bound  to 
stand  out  pre-eminently  as  a  secret  of  success. 
The  life  of  all  games,  competition  has  proved 
the  life  of  gunnery,  which  has  been  so  justly 
termed  the  "greatest  of  all  games."  It  is  a 
question  of  pointer  against  pointer,  gun-crew 
against  gun-crew,  ship  against  ship,  and  fleet 
against  fleet.  And  when  we  read  an  extract 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  119 

like  the  following,  we  cannot  help  admiring 
the  Navy  and  Navy  men  for  the  admirable 
"sporting  spirit"  which  exists  in  this  compe- 
tition : 

"Our  pennant  hopes  were  dashed  when  the 
report  of  the  Vermont's  score  was  received. 
Eighty-one  and  one-quarter  per  cent  of  hits  at 
9,000  yards  with  her  12-inch  is  the  score  that 
did  the  work.  Though  we  are  beaten,  yet 
there  is  not  a  man  aboard  who  is  not  proud  to 
know  that  the  real  fighting  ships,  the  line-of- 
battle-ships,  upon  which  a  Navy's  strength 
depends,  can  shoot  like  this.  Since  we  did  not 
win  the  pennant  ourselves,  we  are  glad  to  see 
it  go  to  such  a  splendid  ship.  There  is  a  great 
deal  of  satisfaction  in  knowing  that  we  pushed 
her  so  closely.  As  a  ship  we  take  off  our  hats 
to  the  winner  and  extend  her  our  heartiest 
congratulations . "  * 

TUESDAY,  MARCH  22ND. 

The  time  is  now  drawing  near  when  we 
shall  have  to  leave  this  place.  Thursday  at 
four  is  the  day  and  time  set  for  our  departure, 
and  I  doubt  very  much  whether  there  are  many 
in  the  fleet  who  will  not  sincerely  regret  the 

*From  the  "Grand  Canyon,"  published  by  the  enlisted  men  on 
board  the  U.  S.  S.  Colorado. 


120  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

change,  even  though  the  prospect  is  that  of 
being  homeward  bound  once  more.  There  may 
be  some  truth  in  the  saying  that  this  place  is 
God-forsaken,  yet  the  longer  you  stay  the  bet- 
ter you  like  it.  No  other  place  in  the  world 
can  compare  with  it  for  the  work  the  fleet  does 
there  during  the  "busy  season."  More  has 
been  accomplished  in  the  past  few  months  than 
would  have  been  possible  anywhere  else,  and 
this  alone  is  a  recommendation  that  ought  to 
stamp  it  as  the  most  valuable  of  our  naval 
stations  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 

Socially,  the  cruise  has  been  all  that  we 
could  have  desired.  Guantanamo  Bay  cer- 
tainly formed  an  ideal  background  for  the  good 
and  wholesome  life  that  characterizes  our  Navy 
at  the  present  time.  No  longer  has  the  service 
to  bear  the  taint  of  the  "good  old  days,"  when 
the  sailor  was  looked  upon  as  scarcely  human. 
No  longer  is  it  the  last  refuge  for  the  scum  of 
the  earth.  The  bluejacket  of  to-day  deserves 
all  the  praise  that  can  be  given  him.  His 
standard  is  courage  and  a  loyal  devotion  to 
his  country,  while  his  character  and  morality 
are  of  the  best.  He  is  well  paid,  his  ration  is 
generous,  well  cooked,  and  properly  served,  his 
clothing  is  of  excellent  quality,  and  certain 
and  steady  advancement  is  sure  to  follow  every 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


indication  on  his  part  of  energy,  zeal,  and  good 
behavior.  And  the  same  may  be  said  of  his 
relations  with  his  superior  officers.  What  they 
formerly  were,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  say. 
Now  they  are  on  a  footing  more  human  than 
in  any  other  service.  There  is  a  community 
of  interest  between  officers  and  men  such  as 
never  before  existed.  And  well  is  it  for  the 
service  that  the  chief  concern  of  the  officers 
is  for  their  men.  The  discipline,  though 
apparently  slack  in  formalities,  works  out 
into  a  pretty  severe  system,  in  which  the  higher 
training  of  the  officers  commands  the  natural 
respect  and  obedience  of  the  men.  In  my 
three  months'  experience  with  the  fleet  I  have 
so  far  seen  but  one  instance  of  a  man  showing 
surliness,  and  but  one  serious  case  of  "back 
talk";  both  offenders  were  summarily  dealt 
with;  yet  neither  showed  resentment,  or  to  my 
knowledge,  expressed  himself  as  having  been 
unjustly  dealt  with. 

Socially,  the  life  on  board  the  ship  is  cen- 
tered in  a  series  of  clubs,  called  messes.  The 
largest,  the  general  mess,  consists  of  the 
entire  crew,  and  is  run  by  the  regularly 
appointed  Paymaster,  while  the  smaller  ones 
consist  solely  of  officers,  who  take  an  active 
part  in  their  management.  The  officers' 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


messes  are  graded  by  rank.  The  Captain 
forms  one  all  by  himself.  The  commissioned 
officers  comprise  the  wardroom  mess.  The 
midshipmen,  marine  lieutenant,  and  junior 
pay  officers  make  up  the  steerage  mess.  The 
warrant  officers,  those  men  of  the  rank  and 
file  who,  by  faithful  service,  have  earned  pro- 
motion, form  another  mess,  while  the  largest 
of  the  circles  is  that  of  the  chief  petty  officers. 
With  the  exception  of  the  first,  all  are 
obliged  to  provide  their  own  food  and  drink 
and  supplies.  Years  ago  the  Government 
used  to  grant  the  men  afloat,  no  matter  what 
their  rank,  the  generous  sum  of  thirty  cents  a 
day  for  rations,  and  allow  them  to  form  their 
own  messes.  But  the  scheme  never  was  a 
success.  Jack  got  pretty  fair  rations,  but  there 
were  times  when  he  did  not  fare  so  well,  espe- 
cially when  the  mess  treasurer  went  ashore 
with  the  mess  treasury  and  failed  to  return 
with  the  required  balance  in  his  pockets.  So 
about  the  time  of  the  Spanish-  American  War 
a  change  for  the  better  was  devised,  and  the 
general  mess  instituted.  Of  course  there  were 
those  who  said  it  would  never  do.  Objections 
and  protests  poured  in  upon  its  promoters, 
but  they  persisted  in  their  determination,  and 
now  the  wonder  is  how  the  ships  ever  got 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


along  without  a  general  mess.  Formerly  as 
many  as  forty  messes  existed  on  board  a  single 
ship;  no  two  had  the  same  fare;  no  two  were 
equally  satisfied.  Now  all  that  is  changed. 
One  person  has  charge  of  the  feeding  of  the 
entire  crew;  every  detail  is  carefully  provided 
for  in  the  Navy  Regulations;  each  man  has 
his  pound  and  three-quarters  of  meat  a  day, 
no  matter  what  the  cost  to  the  Government; 
and  the  result  is  that  the  crew  receives  as 
wholesome  food  as  any  person  could  desire. 

But  the  curtailment  of  those  thirty  cents  a 
day  bore  heavily  on  the  officers  above  the  rank 
of  midshipman.  It  meant  that  henceforth 
each  one  had  to  purchase  his  own  food,  pay 
for  it  out  of  his  own  pocket,  and  lose  the  tidy 
sum  of  $110  a  year,  which  was  the  sum  total 
of  his  previous  allowance.  The  situation  at 
first  was  a  serious  one.  But,  as  usual,  the 
naval  officer  was  practical,  and  quickly  devised 
a  solution  of  the  problem.  The  communal 
plan  of  paying  for  the  food  was  settled  upon 
as  being  most  economical,  while  the  individual 
plan  of  paying  for  drinks  and  cigars  found 
favor  on  account  of  its  liberality.  Then  the 
Government  came  to  his  aid  by  providing  for 
the  formation  of  the  messes,  regulating  their 
management,  and  furnishing  such  necessities 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


as  furniture,  crockery,  and  linen,  while  to 
enable  him  to  obtain  supplies  for  long  cruises, 
without  violating  the  law  against  the  con- 
tracting of  debts,  a  clause  was  inserted  in  the 
Regulations,  297  (  6  )  ,  by  which  the  command- 
ing officer  could  sanction  supplies  for  the  offi- 
cers' messes  being  received  on  board  at  the 
risk  of  the  dealers,  to  be  paid  for  as  consumed, 
provided  the  dealer  assented  to  such  an  agree- 
ment in  writing.  So  the  difficulty  was  solved, 
and  everyone  was  satisfied. 

The  officers'  messes  are  organized  with  a 
caterer,  or  treasurer,  elected  monthly  by  the 
members  from  among  their  own  number; 
serve  he  must,  but  he  cannot  be  forced  to  run 
for  a  second  term  against  his  will.  All  sup- 
plies are  purchased  by  him  from  the  dealers 
on  condition  that  payments  for  the  same  are 
to  be  made  at  certain  stated  intervals,  and  he 
usually  experiences  little  difficulty  in  finding 
bidders,  for  it  is  a  lucrative  trade  and  the  deal- 
ers know  that  they  will  never  have  to  complain 
of  unsettled  debts.  Each  member  of  the  mess 
is  assessed  so  much  every  month,  according  to 
the  standard  of  living  decided  upon  at  the 
time  of  the  last  election,  and  the  result  is  that 
the  food  in  its  prepared  state  costs  the  naval 
officer  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  dollar  a  day. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


And  then  there  is  also  the  wine  mess,  composed 
of  such  officers  as  may  wish  to  join  it.  A 
dealer  provides  the  supplies,  which  are  sold 
to  the  members  at  cost  price,  or  usually  at  an 
advance  of  ten  per  cent  to  cover  breakage.  No 
distilled  spirits,  however,  are  to  be  had  in  the 
mess. 

Thus  the  mess  lives  in  a  small  circle,  the 
members  seeing  each  other  three  times  a  day 
and  being  thrown  together  in  a  way  that  can- 
not fail  to  make  them  know  each  other  inti- 
mately. At  the  head  of  the  wardroom  table 
presides  the  Executive  Officer,  or  Commander, 
with  "the  power  to  preserve  order,"  while 
about  him  are  seated  the  other  officers  in 
assigned  seats  alternately  in  the  order  of  their 
rank.  At  times  this  is  the  cause  of  delicate 
situations.  It  may  happen  that  the  very  man 
who  causes  you  to  be  disciplined  sits  at  your 
elbow;  still,  in  the  membership  of  the  mess, 
there  is  that  spirit  of  good-fellowship  that  read- 
ily enables  you  to  overlook  your  petty  annoy- 
ances, and  touch  elbows  with  your  erstwhile 
senior  in  the  most  cheerful  of  moods.  I 
have  never  seen  such  continual  good  humor 
and  cheerfulness.  Nor  is  this  the  exception. 
Grumpiness  and  grouchiness,  of  course,  hap- 
pen at  times,  but  they  are  always  laughed  off 


126  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

before  any  damage  has  been  done,  and  light 
chaffing  once  more  reigns  supreme.  But,  at 
the  same  time,  there  is  also  a  good  deal  of  seri- 
ous conversation,  especially  as  regards  naval 
matters.  The  personnel  bill  is  everlastingly 
under  discussion;  Naval  Academy  days  are 
recalled  by  the  younger  as  well  as  the  older 
graduates;  the  latest  gunnery  improvements 
are  carefully  considered;  while  all  the  time 
there  is  an  undercurrent  of  tales  of  the  six 
continents  that  find  interested  and  willing 
listeners. 

And  thus  the  life  of  the  messes  goes  on.  No 
matter  in  what  part  of  the  ship  they  may  be, 
the  same  good-fellowship  abounds,  and  the 
same  situation  of  enforced  intimacy  of  months, 
and  even  years,  exists  in  a  way  that  excites 
your  admiration.  It  is  a  manly,  free,  and 
entertaining  life;  a  society  run  in  the  most 
wholesome  manner. 

WEDNESDAY,  MARCH  23RD. 

At  half  past  six  we  went  to  sea,  and  for  five 
hours  engaged  in  correcting  our  compasses, 
after  which  the  usual  gunnery  exercises  were 
resumed.  But  more  important  still,  to-day, 
were  the  fire-control  drills  held  by  the  ship's 
"spotters"  in  preparation  for  next  month's 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  127 

shooting  competitions.  It  is  a  duty  that  re- 
quires a  steady  nerve,  good  eyesight,  and  calm, 
accurate  judgment,  for  upon  these  "chosen 
few"  depends  the  all-important  task  of  trans- 
mitting the  correct  ranges  to  the  batteries  dur- 
ing the  decisive  moments  of  battle.  Errors  of 
range  and  deflection  have  to  be  corrected  the 
moment  the  shells  are  seen  to  strike  the  water, 
for  without  this  co-operation  the  gun-pointers 
would  never  be  able  to  maintain  a  well-directed 
fire  or  bring  their  guns  to  bear  on  the  desired 
center  of  impact.  So  you  can  understand  the 
importance  of  these  hours  spent  in  estimating 
distances  and  at  least  begin  to  appreciate  the 
meaning  of  that  magic  by-word, — fire-con- 
trol. 

THURSDAY,  MARCH  24TH. 

All  morning  long  we  were  busied  with  the 
final  preparations  for  getting  under  way.  For 
the  day  of  departure,  alas,  was  at  hand,  and 
within  a  few  hours  we  were  to  bid  a  final  fare- 
well to  the  sunny  waters  of  Guantanamo  Bay. 
Gangways  were  unshipped,  boats  hoisted  in, 
air  ports  tightly  shut,  and  everything  made 
snug.  Then  at  three-thirty  sirens  and  steam 
whistles  were  tested,  anchor  engines  began  to 
tug  at  the  anchor  chains,  "blue  peters"  flut- 


128  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

tered  impatiently  at  the  fore,  and  we  were 
under  way. 

Again  we  passed  along  the  eastern  coast, 
which  we  had  first  sighted  ten  weeks  ago  when 
on  our  way  to  our  winter  base.  The  moun- 
tains and  hills  were  more  beautiful  than  ever 
in  the  light  of  the  setting  sun,  while  the  gentle 
swells  of  the  Caribbean  reflected  the  glory  of 
that  evening  sky  in  a  manner  that  made  the 
leave-taking  all  the  harder. 

FRIDAY,  MARCH  25TH. 

Another  beautiful  day!  The  sea  was  like 
the  proverbial  mill  pond,  and  of  a  most  gor- 
geous, rich,  ultramarine  hue.  Strange  as  it 
may  seem,  I  note  this.  While  in  Cuban 
waters  it  was  the  rule,  almost  monotonously 
so,  but  now  that  we  are  no  longer  in  the  Carib- 
bean, it  may  prove  the  exception.  About 
nine-thirty  we  passed  close  to  Castle  Island, 
and  while  still  within  view  of  the  shore  were 
put  through  our  paces,  which  must  have  made 
a  lasting  impression  upon  the  inhabitants  that 
crowded  the  beach.  But  as  no  real  "work" 
was  indulged  in  to-day,  my  favorite  pastime 
has  been  to  go  up  on  the  forecastle,  and  look 
down  upon  the  ram  as  it  cleaves  its  way 
through  the  rolling  sea.  There  is  a  strange 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  129 

fascination  about  it  that  makes  it  almost  inde- 
scribable. The  water  curls  up  the  bow,  and 
then  rolls  over,  forming  a  kind  of  cushion  of 
foam  about  the  prow,  while  far  ahead  of  the 
wave,  and  below  the  surface,  you  can  see  the 
ram  leading  the  way,  irresistible,  undeniable. 

But,  alas !  I  was  not  to  indulge  in  my  inno- 
cent pastime  without  unwelcome  interruption. 
My  eyes  suddenly  filled  with  cinders,  and  my 
only  thoughts  then  were  of  the  Surgeon  and 
sick  bay.  Still  this  has  not  been  my  first  expe- 
rience, and  I  suppose  I  should  by  now  be  used 
to  it.  On  the  quarter-deck,  when  the  wind  is 
dead  ahead,  I  have  never  yet  been  able  to 
escape  them,  while  on  the  forecastle  you  get 
them  by  the  million  from  the  ship  ahead,  which 
always  seems  to  delight  in  using  the  basest 
coal  she  can  find. 

EASTER  SUNDAY,  MARCH  27TH. 

Last  evening  a  bank  of  clouds  to  the  south- 
'ard  caused  the  weather  prophets  to  shake 
their  heads  knowingly,  but  they  had  appar- 
ently forgotten  the  signs  during  their  pro- 
tracted sojourn  in  Cuban  climes,  for  the  day 
dawned  clear  and  beautiful,  with  a  glassy  sea. 
Never  was  there  a  more  lovely  Easter  day! 


130  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

We  celebrated  it  in  a  fitting  manner.  It 
was  a  day  of  rest.  Everyone  was  in  holiday 
attire,  and  after  quarters  the  day's  work  was 
done.  Then  at  noon  we  had  our  dinner, — a 
dinner  that  would  have  been  a  credit  to  the 
world's  greatest  chef.  The  Paymaster  must 
have  labored  weeks  in  preparation,  and 
months  in  storing  up  the  varicolored  eggs  that 
graced  each  plate  at  table. 

MONDAY,  MAKCH  28TH. 

Dreaded  Hatteras  was  passed  without  mis- 
hap. In  fact,  I  never  saw  a  smoother  sea. 
But  how  cold  it  has  suddenly  become!  At 
nine  the  temperature  was  55  degrees,  or  30 
degrees  less  than  what  we  have  been  used  to  all 
winter,  and  last  night  we  slept  under  blankets 
for  the  first  time  since  our  return  on  board 
from  our  soldiering  on  Deer  Point.  The 
officers  are  again  in  blues,  but  the  men  still 
wear  whites,  as  better  adapted  to  their  work 
during  these  gunnery  exercises.  But  I  must 
say,  these  steel  ships  are  not  what  you  would 
term  cozy  on  a  cold  winter's  or  spring's  day, 
especially  when  you  have  been  used  to  the  hot 
climes  of  the  Caribbean,  when  ventilators  and 
electric  fans  buzzed  unceasingly. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  131 

All  morning  long  the  fleet  strolled  along  at 
less  than  half  speed.  The  Admiral,  before 
leaving  Guantanamo,  announced  our  arrival 
for  a  certain  hour,  and  as  the  Navigators  have 
unfortunately  brought  us  within  sight  of  the 
Virginia  capes  before  the  appointed  time,  we 
are  idling  outside  until  the  stroke  of  the  hour. 
How  different  from  the  merchant  marine, 
where  everyone  always  is  in  such  a  hurry  to 
get  into  port! 

At  eleven  the  pilot  finally  mustered  enough 
courage  to  clamber  up  the  flagship's  side,  and 
we  consequently  proceeded  once  more  in  the 
direction  of  Hampton  Roads.  Eighteen  miles 
of  water  still  separated  us  from  that  historic 
battlefield,  where,  in  the  middle  of  the  last 
century,  ironclads  met  for  the  first  time  in  the 
annals  of  the  sea.  But  how  uninviting  the 
day  for  my  first  visit  to  this  roadstead!  The 
air  was  cold  and  damp;  a  veil  of  chilly  mist 
obscured  the  horizon,  while  the  water  was  a 
muddy,  dirty  green.  What  a  contrast  to 
Guantanamo ! 

Once  off  Old  Point,  the  fleet  came  to  anchor 
in  the  midst  of  countless  naval  vessels  that  have 
been  assembling  here  for  the  past  week.  But 
what  was  far  more  welcome  than  all  the  com- 
pany was  the  mail  that  greeted  us.  Over  a 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


hundred  bags!    And  not  a  one  that  was  not 
filled  to  the  top. 

SATURDAY,  APRIL  2ND. 

There  was  the  greatest  excitement  up  for- 
ward all  morning.  A  little  yellow  and  black 
bird  came  aboard  just  after  quarters  and 
alighted  on  the  training  hood  of  the  forward 
12-inch  turret.  In  a  moment  the  turret-crew 
were  in  a  panic.  The  men  rushed  about  as  if 
the  greatest  calamity  were  impending,  and, 
grabbing  swabs  and  squeegee-handles,  endeav- 
ored to  shoo  the  unfortunate  bird  away.  For, 
as  they  explained  between  gasps  and  yells,  the 
bird  was  a  sign  of  evil,  and  something  was  sure 
to  happen  if  it  was  not  immediately  driven 
away.  But  the  unwelcome  intruder  only  flew 
beyond  reach  of  its  persecutors,  and  sought 
refuge  on  top  of  the  starboard  8-inch  turret. 
Then  it  was  the  turn  of  that  division  to  tear 
their  hair.  "Last  year,  and  on  a  Saturday, 
too,"  groaned  the  trainer,  "a  little  yellow  and 
black  bird  came  aboard,  and  a  powder-bag  got 
turned  around.  Guess  this  year  the  ammuni- 
tion car  will  drop  !" 

I  can  well  appreciate  the  feelings  of  those 
men.  For  weeks  they  have  not  allowed  them- 
selves out  of  sight  of  their  guns  lest  some- 


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A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  133 

thing  happen  to  them;  for  weeks  they  have 
patted  them  with  the  greatest  affection,  and 
told  them  all  sorts  of  nice  things,  calling  them 
pet  names,  and  promising  to  put  ribbons  on 
them  if  they  do  their  best  and  win  navy  prizes 
for  their  crews.  Now  all  has  been  undone. 
The  sign  of  evil  has  visited  the  ship,  and  every- 
one is  talking  about  what  the  consequences 
may  be.  However,  the  officer  in  charge  of  one 
of  the  guns  has  not  yet  shaved  his  whiskers, 
so  I  feel  that  we  have  some  good  luck  coming 
to  us  even  though  the  "signs"  may  be  against 
us. 

Fortunately  we  had  "movies"  on  deck  after 
dinner,  so  the  men  had  something  to  cheer  them 
up  and  help  them  get  their  minds  off  their 
work.  Never  was  a  diversion  more  welcome. 
Everyone  has  become  grouchy  over  the  unfore- 
seen delays  that  have  interrupted  the  Admi- 
ral's well-laid  plans.  There  has  been  an  absence 
of  levity  about  the  ship  that  to  a  stranger 
would  give  the  impression  of  an  impending 
mutiny.  The  strain  of  preparation  has  begun 
to  tell,  and  I  doubt  very  much  whether  anyone 
will  be  normal  again  until  the  shooting  is  all 
over. 

It  was  beastly  cold  up  on  deck ;  but  we  only 
turned  up  our  coat  collars,  and  enjoyed  the 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

fun  to  our  heart's  content.  After  a  while, 
however,  it  became  too  chilly  for  comfort,  so  I 
went  below  and  started  a  cut-out  picture  puz- 
zle on  the  wardroom  table.  It  was  one  of  a 
dozen  that  I  had  just  received  from  home,  and 
I  rejoiced  at  the  opportunity  of  again  indulg- 
ing in  this  shocking  pastime.  But  no  one  else 
seemed  enthusiastic.  The  Commander,  espe- 
cially, scorned  my  invitation  to  make  himself 
useful,  while  the  "Fourth  Ward," — as  the  jun- 
ior officers  of  the  wardroom  mess  are  known,— 
laughed  at  my  childish  amusement  and  said 
they  thought  they  could  find  something  better 
to  do.  But  within  an  hour,  the  magic  spell  had 
spread  its  net,  and  one  and  all  were  crowded 
about  the  long  table  trying  to  fit  the  right 
pieces  together.  "Where's  that  baby  foot?  I 
know  you  had  it.  Oh,  here  it  is."  "No,  that 
isn't  a  baby's  foot,  it's  part  of  my  lamp."  And 
so  they  went  on.  Every  time  the  bluejackets  on 
deck  laughed  at  the  movies  there  would  be  a 
rush  for  the  ladder,  and  then  as  sudden  a 
return  to  continue  the  interrupted  task.  Well, 
about  eight  of  us  finally  got  the  baby  and  the 
lamp  assembled, — only  the  lamp  turned  out 
to  be  a  fruit  basket;  and  then  the  rest  of  the 
mess  and  the  steerage  were  sent  for  to  admire 
our  achievement  before  it  was  broken  up. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  135 

MONDAY,  APRIL  4TH. 

A  dense  fog  greeted  us  when  we  awakened 
this  morning;  but  by  nine  it  had  sufficiently 
cleared  to  warrant  our  beginning  preparations 
for  weighing  anchor,  so  that  we  had  several 
hours'  notice  to  perform  satisfactorily  the 
interesting  operation  of  unmooring  ship.  To 
me  it  was  something  new.  We  had  never 
found  it  necessary  to  moor  in  the  roomy  and 
still  waters  of  Guantanamo  Bay.  But  here, 
in  the  limited  anchorage  allotted  the  fleet,  and 
with  a  racing  tide,  it  was  always  customary, — 
the  advantages  of  that  method  of  anchoring 
vessels  being  that  they  take  up  comparatively 
little  space  in  swinging  and  cannot  foul  their 
anchors  by  dragging  the  bight  of  the  chain 
over  them.  A  ship,  when  moored,  has  both 
bower  anchors  down,  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance apart,  and  such  scope  of  chain  on  each 
that  she  is  held  with  her  bow  stationary  on 
the  line  between  them;  she  may  thus  head  in 
any  direction,  and  swing  about  her  own  stem 
as  a  pivot. 

Promptly  at  one  we  were  under  way,  but  no 
sooner  had  we  rounded  the  second  buoy  than 
wreaths  of  fog  came  gliding  across  the  fleet, 
hiding  the  ships  from  one  another,  and  com- 


136  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

pelling  them  to  use  their  unmelodious  whistles 
to  converse  with  the  Admiral.  The  dismal 
wails  of  the  sirens  sounded  one  after  another, 
down  the  line,  counting  out  their  distinguish- 
ing letters,  and  answering  the  orders,  blown 
from  the  flagship,  through  the  misty  veil.  The 
Connecticut  would  toot  her  call,  the  letter 

"F"  ( — ),  then  the  Vermont  would 

answer  with  hers,  "R"   (•• ),  we  next, 

"S"  ( •  •  —  •  • ),  the  Louisiana  would  then  be 
heard  astern  sounding  "W"  (-  -), 

and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  four-mile-long 
line  of  ships.  You  could  not  see  a  cable's 
length.  Yet  the  vessels  maintained  their 
positions  perfectly,  thanks  to  the  practical 
"fog  buoy," — an  irregular  shaped  spar,  which 
each  vessel  usually  trails  astern  at  the  end  of 
a  long  line  as  an  indication  to  the  next  follow- 
ing of  where  the  latter's  ram  should  be;  thus 
the  usual  distances  between  ships  can  be  cor- 
rectly maintained  even  in  the  thickest  weather, 
and  the  danger  of  collisions  reduced  to  a 
minimum. 

All  went  swimmingly  for  awhile.  Then 
suddenly  things  were  doing.  A  fleet  of  sail- 
ing craft  suddenly  loomed  up  out  of  the  haze. 
They  were  anchored  right  in  the  channel,  and 
we  had  run  into  the  midst  of  them.  It  was  a 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  137 

question  of  expert  dodging,  and  dodge  we  cer- 
tainly did.  But  in  the  confusion  we  lost  our 
formation,  and  the  Second  Squadron  astern 
got  badly  mixed  up.  Sirens  shrieked  their  ter- 
rible warning;  crews  were  sent  to  collision 
quarters ;  but  it  was  only  a  precautionary  meas- 
ure, and  the  emergency  fortunately  did  not 
arise.  We  finally  found  so  many  vessels  about 
us  that  the  Admiral  deemed  it  best  to  anchor 
where  we  were,  and  this  we  did  to  the  accom- 
paniment of  a  bombardment  of  six-pounders, — 
two  shots  from  each  ship  at  five  second  inter- 
vals,—  as  called  for  by  the  Regulations. 

When  the  fog  lifted  some  hours  later,  we 
realized  that  we  had  dropped  our  mud-hooks 
none  too  soon.  All  about  us  were  dozens  of 
sailing  vessels,  ringing  their  bells  madly  and 
wondering  what  all  this  sudden  racket  meant. 
They  must  have  had  a  bad  scare,  and  I  don't 
blame  them  in  the  least.  Only  they  had  no 
business  in  obstructing  the  channel  the  way 
they  did. 

TUESDAY,  APRIL  5TH. 

At  last  we  are  on  the  Southern  Drill 
Grounds,  that  forty-mile-square  patch  of 
ocean  water,  twelve  miles  off  the  Virginia 
coast,  which  stretches  from  latitude  36°  45'  to 


138  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

latitude  36°  55'.  Here  we  are  to  remain  the 
rest  of  the  week,  continuing  our  gunnery  train- 
ing in  preparation  for  target  practice,  which  is 
to  come  some  time  in  the  future.  That  much, 
at  least,  of  the  Admiral's  plans  we  know. 

There  was  an  examination  of  the  magazines 
during  the  forenoon,  so  I  took  advantage  of 
the  opportunity  to  slip  into  the  forward  12- 
inch  handling  room  with  the  officer  in  charge. 
We  stood  on  the  double-bottoms,  far  below 
the  water  line,  in  a  compartment  measuring 
about  twenty  feet  square.  From  the  center 
rose  the  "hoists"  with  their  powder  and  shell 
cars,  by  means  of  which  the  guns  in  the  turret 
above  were  supplied  with  the  necessary  ammu- 
nition. Water-tight  doors  led  to  the  several 
compartments  on  all  sides,  where  were  located 
the  powder  magazines  and  shell  rooms,  in 
which  were  stored  tier  after  tier  of  copper 
cases  containing  full  charges  of  smokeless 
powder  and  massive  shells  weighing  more  than 
850  pounds  apiece.  Here  was  the  station  of 
the  powder  division  in  battle,  and  here  they 
toiled  while  the  guns  above  thundered  and  sent 
forth  their  death-dealing  messengers. 

In  the  afternoon  the  general  drills  contin- 
ued. Then  came  the  fog  again,  and  once 
more  were  we  obliged  to  anchor.  But  there 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  139 

was  cheer  in  store  for  us  when,  about  six,  the 
Culgoa  appeared  in  our  midst  from  Hampton 
Roads  with  a  large  mail  for  each  ship,  and  the 
Admiral  announced  that  henceforth  a  regular 
daily  mail  service  would  be  maintained  with 
the  shore. 

WEDNESDAY,  APRIL  GTH. 

All  morning  the  Kansas  held  gunnery  drills 
in  company  with  her  sister-ship,  the  Louisiana. 
Each  acted  in  turn  as  firing  ship  or  as  target 
for  the  other.  The  batteries  were  manned,  the 
guns  loaded  with  dummy  charges,  and  every 
detail  of  the  scientific  training  carefully  per- 
formed. 

As  usual  I  was  in  the  foretop,  with  the  fire- 
control  party,  where  by  far  the  most  interest- 
ing work  was  being  done.  In  fact,  ever  since  my 
first  experience  last  month,  I  have  reveled  in 
going  aloft,  and  from  the  top  gazing  down 
135  feet  upon  the  vast  expanse  of  sea  that 
surrounded  us  on  all  sides.  There  is  a  fascina- 
tion about  it  that  is  indescribable ;  a  charm  that 
bears  no  comparison.  Up  there  I  saw  all, 
heard  all,  unseen  by  those  below.  The  pano- 
rama of  the  ship  spread  out  under  me.  The 
imposing  array  of  guns;  the  mass  of  ship's 
boats  clustered  on  the  upper  deck;  the  men 


140  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

engaged  at  their  several  duties ;  the  three  great 
smokestacks  vomiting  sable  clouds;  the  cush- 
ion of  foam  around  the  bow;  and  the  long, 
broad  ribbon  of  the  boiling  wake.  All  this, 
and  more,  unfolded  before  my  enraptured 
gaze. 

MONDAY,  APRIL  HTH. 

At  no  other  time  during  this  cruise  has  there 
developed  so  intense  a  sporting  interest  among 
the  men  as  recently  sprang  up  between  the  sev- 
eral gun-crews  on  this  ship.  For  days  they 
have  been  comparing  each  other's  records. 
Gun  has  been  matched  against  gun;  turret 
against  turret;  gun-crew  against  gun-crew; 
until  finally  the  interest  became  so  great,  that 
the  men  begged  to  be  allowed  to  fight  it  out 
in  actual  competition.  So  at  three  this  after- 
noon the  test  was  held  between  the  two  after 
8-inch  turrets.  Each  gun-crew  loaded  its 
own  piece  five  times  against  the  men  from  the 
other  side,  and  then  went  through  the  same 
test  in  their  opponent's  turret.  Be  first!  was 
the  thought  of  each  and  every  man  of  them. 
They  were  wrought  up  over  this  game  of 
theirs,  and  determined  to  expend  every  ounce 
of  energy  they  had  in  proving  their  superior- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  141 

ity  over  the  men  from  the  other  side  of  the 
ship.  Of  the  details  of  those  minutes  inside 
the  turrets,  I  know  little.  No  outsiders  were 
admitted;  not  for  secrecy's  sake,  but  because 
there  was  no  room  for  them  within  the  limited 
and  cramped  spaces.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the 
port  turret  won,  and  defeated  its  rival  from 
the  starboard  side  by  the  fraction  of  a  minute. 
It  was  a  hard  fight  to  lose.  "I'll  never  get 
over  it,"  cried  the  unhappy  turret-captain  of 
the  losing  side.  "Why,  we  had  them  on  the 
run;  I  don't  see  how  we  ever  missed  it!" 

WEDNESDAY,,  APRIL  13TH. 

A  nightmare  must  have  struck  this  ship  last 
night.  Everyone  had  a  dream,  and  such 
dreams!  The  breakfast  hour  was  filled  with 
weird  tales.  All  had  to  do  with  target  prac- 
tice or  battle.  One  of  the  ensigns  had  an 
awful  one,  and  then  woke  to  find  that  he  had 
been  trying  to  drive  his  head  through  the  bulk- 
head. The  Lieutenant  saw  visions  of  his  turret 
in  action ;  one  side  of  the  armor  shot  away  and 
the  gun-crew  killed ;  the  pointer's  hood  carried 
away  and  himself  seated  beside  the  gun  trying 
to  train  it  with  a  monkey-wrench!  But 
enough.  Scuppers  running  with  blood  are  not 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


pleasant  to  contemplate.  Yet  I  must  say  that 
I  listened  with  interest  to  all  that  was  said, 
and  regretted  that  I,  too,  could  not  contribute 
to  the  general  store  of  information.  For, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  I  never  dream.  Un- 
fortunately I  uttered  some  remark  to  this 
effect,  whereupon  they  turned  upon  me  and 
told  me  that  no  one  had  ever  been  on  this  ship 
a  month  without  coming  under  the  spell.  I 
ought  to  dream,  that  is  all  there  was  to  it,  and 
if  I  stayed  on  board  only  a  while  longer,  I,  too, 
would  have  all  the  dreams  I  wanted. 

MONDAY,  APRIL  18TH. 

Well!  Of  all  unexpected  things!  Here  we 
are  on  the  shooting  grounds,  forty  miles  at  sea, 
anchored  in  twenty  fathoms  of  water,  ready  to 
begin  firing  to-morrow  at  dawn!  The  unex- 
pected happened  at  three  o'clock,  when  the 
entire  fleet,  —  battleships,  tugs,  colliers,  target- 
rafts,  and  hospital  ship,  —  left  the  Southern 
Drill  Grounds  in  obedience  to  sudden  orders 
from  the  Admiral,  and  now,  at  eight,  we  are 
"on  the  range,"  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
umpires  and  assistants  from  the  other  ships, 
who  are  to  observe  and  judge  our  practice  for 
the  next  few  days. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  143 

TUESDAY,,  APRIL  19TH. 

The  Admiral  evidently  slept  late,  for  there 
was  not  a  stir  on  the  flagship  until  after  eight 
bells.  But  we  had  our  hands  full,  fussing  over 
minor  details,  sending  off  the  repair  party  to 
the  tugs,  and  our  detail  of  umpires  to  the 
other  ships.  Then  came  the  final  preparations, 
and  then  we  were  ready. 

To  some  it  may  seem  that  much  time  is  con- 
sumed in  "preparing"  for  those  few  minutes 
of  actual  shooting,  and  too  much  attention 
given  to  the  innumerable  small  details  that  fill 
the  days  beforehand.  But  that,  unfortunately, 
is  a  necessity.  And,  as  I  found  out  to  my  sor- 
row, a  necessity  that  it  is  well  to  observe.  For 
before  the  first  shot  was  fired  I  neglected  some 
of  the  precautions  I  had  been  cautioned  to 
take,  with  the  result  that  when  I  returned  to 
my  room,  after  the  first  "run,"  I  found  a  state 
of  affairs  that  reminded  me  more  of  hazing  in 
my  freshman  year  at  college  than  anything  I 
have  ever  seen  before  or  since.  Not  a  drawer 
of  my  wardrobe  was  in  its  place;  everything 
was  spilled  on  the  deck;  my  room  was  in  a 
mess.  Then  I  realized  why  the  days  before 
had  been  given  over  to  anticipating  such  ill- 
effects  from  the  shooting.  Everything  on  deck 


144  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

had  been  removed, — stanchions,  davits,  and 
railings;  boats  hoisted  in  on  the  upper  deck; 
deadlights  boarded  over;  and  ventilators  taken 
down;  while  battle  ports  were  tightly  shut, 
and  every  movable  object  below  decks  care- 
fully stowed  away, — electric  fans,  plate  glass, 
looking  glasses,  china,  silverware,  and  electric- 
light  globes, — and  laid  out  in  a  storeroom  out 
of  harm's  way. 

But  it  was  time  to  shoot.  The  Culgoa  had 
left  her  anchorage  with  a  target  in  tow,  and 
was  proceeding  in  the  direction  of  "Target 
Range  No.  2,"  which  had  been  assigned  to  this 
Division  for  the  day.  Then  the  Michigan  got 
under  way,  the  Connecticut  followed  her  move- 
ments, and  the  rest  of  the  Division  dropped  in 
behind.  Further  and  further  we  steamed 
from  the  Culgoa,  until  we  could  scarcely  see  the 
target-screens.  With  powerful  telescopes  they 
were  visible  enough,  but  to  our  naked  eyes  they 
seemed  but  mere  specks  on  the  hazy  horizon. 
No  wonder  that  the  civilian  commuter,  who 
lives  in  a  little  cottage  seven  miles  from  town 
and  spends  half-an-hour  on  the  trolley,  hardly 
realizes  what  target  practice  means,  or  what 
our  bluejackets  are  doing,  when  he  is  told  that 
they  are  covering  that  same  distance  with 
projectiles  in  less  than  fifteen  seconds,  and 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  145 

shattering  a  target  smaller  than  his  suburban 
villa!  And  this,  too,  while  steaming  at  full 
speed,  with  a  moving  target,  in  a  choppy  sea, 
and  with  a  fair  proportion  of  hits. 

The  first  roar  of  a  gun  sent  a  thrill  through 
me.  A  ruddy  flash,  a  cloud  of  yellow  gas,  a 
splitting  crash, — and  target  practice  had  be- 
gun. Bang,  bang,  bang!  came  the  echoes,  one 
after  the  other.  A  glance  at  the  target,  a 
splash  of  water  forty  or  fifty  feet  high,  and 
you  knew  the  result. 

It  was  the  Louisiana  that  had  come  on  the 
range,  and  hers  the  honor  to  commence  the 
first  run  of  the  greatest  game  the  world  has 
ever  seen.  And  well  did  she  deserve  the  com- 
pliment. As  regularly  as  clockwork  did  her 
guns  go  off,  and  as  straight  as  a  die  went  their 
shells.  The  first  few  shots  just  about  located 
the  target;  then  began  as  murderous  a  fire  as 
the  Navy  has  ever  seen.  Every  shot  told;  the 
air  was  filled  with  flying  battens,  parts  of 
masts  and  strips  of  canvas, — until  towards 
the  close  of  the  firing,  the  shells  were  appar- 
ently passing  through  the  target  without 
striking  anything  in  their  flight.  A  clean  hole 
had  been  shot  through  the  center  of  the  screen ! 

Then  we  had  to  wait  while  the  damage  was 
repaired.  But  the  men  went  at  their  task  with 


146  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

a  will  that  did  credit  to  their  indefatigable 
energy,  and  within  the  hour  we  were  again  in 
line,  "coming  on  the  range." 

It  was  our  turn!  From  my  station,  in  the 
main-top,  120  feet  above  the  guns,  I  had  a 
splendid  view.  And  here,  at  least,  I  felt  quite 
safe.  The  ship  was  speeding  on,  pitching 
lazily  as  she  pushed  her  way  through  the  roll- 
ing sea,  while  the  wind  whistled  through  the 
masts  and  blew  clouds  of  smoke  beneath  our 
feet.  The  targets  and  towing-ship  showed  up 
plainly,  though  so  far,  so  very  far  away.  We 
were  now  coming  on  the  range.  "Stand  by!" 
"Fire !"  There  was  a  blinding  flash,  a  roar  and 
thunder,  a  scorching  wave  of  hot  air  from  be- 
low, and  our  eyes  were  strained  to  see  the 
result.  With  a  good  glass  you  can  pick  up 
the  shells  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the 
muzzle  and  follow  them  in  their  course  through 
the  air.  Then  you  see  a  splash,  then  another, 
another  and  another,  as  they  ricochet  for 
miles.  Shot  after  shot  rang  out.  Then  a 
deathly  silence.  The  run  was  over,  and  the 
next  ship  was  about  to  begin  the  practice  in 
her  turn. 

But  it  was  on  the  gun-deck,  where  the  man- 
behind- the-gun  was  in  action,  that  the  best  and 
most  spectacular  part  of  the  work  was  going 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  147 

on.  Here  was  where  team  work  was  most  in 
evidence.  Yet  it  was  not  on  these  men  alone 
that  success  depended.  For  on  the  day  of 
battle  everyone,  from  the  Admiral  down  to  the 
youngest  apprentice,  has  his  share  of  respon- 
sibility. However  good  the  pointer  may  be, 
unless  he  has  an  admiral  or  captain  who  can 
put  him  in  the  right  place  at  the  right  time, 
good  shooting  will  not  avail  much.  Target 
practice  is  meant,  therefore,  to  teach  not  only 
the  men  how  to  shoot,  but  also  the  officers  how 
to  bring  their  ships  into  position,  how  to  keep 
them  there,  and  how  to  help  the  pointers  in 
every  way  possible.  It  marks  the  culmination 
of  months  of  training  and  work,  not  only  in 
gunnery,  but  in  engineering,  navigation,  and 
fire-control.  The  secret  of  success  depends  not 
on  one  alone,  but  on  all  equally  and  jointly. 

As  we  came  on  the  range,  every  man  of  the 
crew  was  at  his  station,  alert  and  ready  at  the 
word  of  command  to  do  his  very  best.  Com- 
mands were  given  in  quiet  tones,  the  men 
moved  about  like  machines ;  the  deathly  silence 
broken  only  by  the  voices  of  the  pointer  and 
trainer  as  they  coached  one  another:  "Right, 
Tommy.  A  little  more.  Just  a  hair.  That's  the 
boy!"  The  moment  for  action  was  at  hand. 
"Stand  by!  Commence  firing!"  In  an  instant 


148  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

the  tray  was  loaded,  the  breach  opened,  the 
charge  rammed  home,  the  breech  closed,  pri- 
mer inserted  and  lock  cocked.  "Ready!"  yelled 
the  plugman,  as  he  slapped  the  pointer  on  the 
back.  The  sight-setters  were  busy  keeping  the 
range-  and  deflection-scales  corrected,  while 
the  pointer  and  trainer  aimed  the  piece  until 
the  cross-wires  of  the  telescope-lens  bore  on  the 
target.  Then  a  flash,  a  deafening  roar,  a 
powerful  tremor,  and  the  shell  was  on  its  way. 
Almost  instinctively  the  breech  was  again 
opened,  a  whirring  sound  was  heard  as  the 
compressed  air  drove  out  the  burning  gases 
through  the  muzzle,  another  charge  was 
inserted,  the  breech  again  closed,  and 
"Ready!"  Then  a  third  charge,  and  another, 
and  still  another.  What  wonderful  team 
work!  Every  motion  precise  and  accurate  like 
perfectly  adjusted  and  well-oiled  machinery. 
And  what  speed!  Every  fraction  of  a  second 
saved  in  this  is  as  valuable  as  hours  ordina- 
rily,— and  every  moment  thus  saved  means  so 
much  more  time  for  the  pointer. 

WEDNESDAY,  APRIL  20TH. 

One  is  naturally  astonished,  on  witnessing 
big-gun  target  practice  for  the  first  time,  that 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  149 

smokeless  powder  should  produce  such  a  vol- 
ume of  yellow  colored  gases,  and  photographs 
of  ships  firing  are  apt  to  mislead  the  civilian 
into  believing  that  the  old  brown  powder  is 
still  used.  But  the  powder-charge  proper  is 
really  smokeless.  What  little  smoke  is  pro- 
duced comes  from  the  ignition-charge,  which 
is  indispensable,  because  of  the  difficulty 
found  in  the  ignition  of  smokeless  powders, 
and  also  because  it  is  found  that  the  black 
powder  facilitates  the  transfer  of  ignition 
through  the  grains  of  the  smokeless  powder. 
Fourteen  pounds  of  black  powder  are  required 
for  the  ignition- charge  of  a  13-inch  gun.  The 
smoke  is  therefore  considerable,  but  it  is  so 
diluted  with  the  large  volume  of  colorless 
gases  from  the  consumed  smokeless  powder 
that  it  dissipates  readily  enough.  In  the 
course  of  exhaustive  tests  made  at  the  Naval 
Proving  Grounds  it  was  found  that  a  point 
four  miles  distant  was  visible  in  five  seconds 
after  the  firing  of  a  13-inch  gun,  whereas  with 
brown  powder  the  time  taken  was  twenty-five 
seconds.  This  was  in  calm  weather ;  in  a  breeze 
the  five  seconds  would  be  considerably  lessened. 
We  made  an  early  start  this  morning,  and 
all  day  continued  the  cannonade.  The  condi- 
tions were  not  exactly  ideal  for  good  records, 


150  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

but  the  "Chief"  has  his  lucky  shirt  on,  and  we 
consequently  came  through  with  flying  colors. 

Then  in  the  evening  the  target-screens,  each 
rolled  up  on  its  battens,  were  brought  on  board 
to  be  inspected  by  the  umpires  and  officers  of 
the  ship.  Two  of  the  searchlights  were  turned 
down  upon  the  quarter-deck;  one  by  one  the 
screens  were  unrolled  and  examined  and  the 
shot-holes  counted.  No  one  turned  in  early 
that  night.  The  men  crowded  the  rail  and  the 
turret-tops  in  their  eagerness  to  watch  the 
count  and  see  the  jagged  holes  in  the  canvas 
that  told  of  the  passage  of  the  shells,  and  when 
it  was  announced  that  the  examination  had 
confirmed  the  former  number  of  "spotted" 
hits,  the  enthusiasm  of  the  ship's  company 
knew  no  bounds. 

Only  once  were  the  umpires  in  difficulty, 
and  that  was  when  a  screen  was  unrolled  with 
double  the  number  of  shot-holes  that  they  had 
previously  "spotted."  Two  shells  apparently 
had  pierced  each  of  the  holes  in  the  canvas. 
There  was  no  doubt  about  it;  there  were  both 
red  and  green  paint-marks.  For  to  distin- 
guish the  hits  made  by  the  several  sets  of 
pointers,  the  shells  are  usually  painted  differ- 
ent colors, — green  for  the  first  pointer  and  red 
for  the  second  pointer.  The  umpires  were 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  151 

indeed  perplexed.  They  were  certain  they 
had  seen  but  one  shell  pierce  each  hole,  yet 
there  were  the  marks  of  two.  They  questioned 
the  officers,  and  then  sought  information  from 
the  men.  But  no  one  could  account  for  this 
remarkable  duplication,  until  finally  one  blue- 
jacket came  forward  and  solved  the  difficulty. 
The  poor  man  was  most  embarrassed,  and 
nervously  twirled  his  cap  in  his  hands;  he  did 
not  quite  know  how  to  say  what  he  wanted  to, 
but  we  soon  gathered  that  he  had  been  the  cause 
of  all  the  trouble,  because  just  before  the  run 
he  had  painted  green  shamrocks  on  all  the  red 
shells,  "just  for  luck." 

THURSDAY,  APRIL  21sx. 

But  the  12-inch  guns!  It  is  when  those 
monsters  go  off  that  you  want  to  fill  your 
ears  with  cotton,  unless  you  have  provided 
yourself  with  ear-protectors.  And  you  want 
to  stand  clear,  as  far  away  and  back  as  you 
can.  And  above  all,  be  sure  that  you  have 
secured  everything  in  your  stateroom  and 
closed  your  air  port,  for  if  you  have  not  you 
may  find  your  toothbrush  and  shaving  mug 
and  soap  dish  spilled  on  the  deck  with  the 
fragments  of  your  water  pitcher. 


152  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

As  the  ship  nears  the  range,  the  alarm  gongs 
ring,  sounding  General  Quarters;  bugles  call 
officers  and  men  to  their  battle- stations. 
Everyone  drops  what  he  is  doing,  and  rushes 
to  his  place.  All  seems  confusion,  but  it  is 
only  an  orderly  confusion,  in  which  each  one 
knows  exactly  what  he  is  to  do.  Then  with  all 
in  readiness,  you  await  the  anxious  moment. 
You  count  the  seconds.  How  long  they  seem! 
But  before  you  know  it  the  whistle  has  blown, 
and  the  work  has  begun. 

For  the  first  run  I  was  inside  that  low, 
cramped  chamber, — the  turret, — standing  in 
the  narrow  passage  not  two  feet  away  from 
one  of  the  guns.  It  was  the  only  place  where 
I  could  stand  without  being  in  the  way.  The 
dim  light  of  the  battle-lanterns  revealed  the 
men  at  their  stations  about  the  breech  of  the 
piece.  The  heat  was  oppressive,  streams  of 
perspiration  showed  on  their  faces;  all  longed 
that  it  might  begin  soon.  Presently  the 
pointers  and  trainer  brought  the  guns  to  bear 
on  the  distant  target.  I  could  feel  the  massive 
turret  revolving  slowly  and  smoothly  beneath 
me;  we  were  coming  on  the  range!  "Stand 
by!"  The  visual  clicked  at  intervals,  and  the 
sight-setters  as  quickly  checked  the  corrections. 
"Load!" 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  153 

At  the  word  of  command  from  the  quiet- 
voiced  officer  in  charge  all  was  action.  Heat, 
hits,  misses,  and  records, — all  were  forgotten. 
Yet  there  was  no  confusion,  no  hurry.  Metal- 
lic rumbling  sounds  from  the  depths  below 
announced  that  the  shells  and  powder-bags 
were  being  loaded  upon  the  cars ;  the  trapdoor 
to  the  handling-room  opened  its  steel  jaws  as 
the  ammunition  car  rushed  up  into  its  place 
before  the  breech,  which  had  meanwhile  been 
opened.  In  went  the  860-pound  shell  and  the 
320  pounds  of  powder.  Before  I  realized  what 
had  happened  the  breech  was  shut,  the  car  had 
disappeared  below,  the  shutter  was  again 
closed,  and  the  big  piece  was  ready.  A  momen- 
tary lull,  then  the  monster  leapt  back  in  recoil, 
I  heard  a  muffled  roar  and  felt  a  sharp  jar, — 
then  all  was  action  again.  So  easy,  I  thought. 
Mere  child's  play.  And  so  it  seemed,  yet  it 
was  perfection  attained  only  after  months  of 
hard  and  conscientious  training. 

As  the  gun  went  off,  I  did  not  feel  much  of 
the  tearing  displacement  of  air  outside,  the 
"blast";  the  steel  walls  of  the  turret  protected 
me  from  the  results  of  the  explosion  of  all  that 
powder.  But  it  was  on  deck  that  I  later  got  the 
full  benefit  of  all  that  I  could  not  see  or  feel 
inside.  Forewarned,  I  kept  well  back  and  away 


154  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

from  the  muzzles.  I  strained  my  eyes,  keeping 
them  on  the  gun  to  watch  for  the  blast.  Would 
it  never  come?  But  it  did  come,  and  at  the 
very  time  when  I  least  expected  it.  The  white 
flame  appeared  brighter  than  anything  I  had 
ever  seen,  a  tremendous  cloud  of  yellow  gas 
rushed  out  of  the  muzzle,  and  the  roar  shocked 
me  all  over.  I  grasped  at  the  winch  to  steady 
myself.  Then  my  eyes  sought  the  projectile 
as  it  sped  towards  the  target.  An  enormous 
geyser,  hundreds  of  feet  high,  leapt  into  the 
air.  Then  another,  and  another  as  the  shell 
ricochetted,  each  miles  farther  away. 

With  it  came  a  peculiar  roar  unlike  any- 
thing I  had  ever  heard.  It  sounded  more  like 
the  rush  of  an  express  train  as  it  dashed  in  and 
out  of  tunnels,  up  and  down  valleys.  I  could 
plainly  hear  the  chug,  chug,  chug,  of  the  loco- 
motive, the  rumble  of  the  train  in  the  stillness 
of  the  night.  I  could  almost  see  it  in  my  mind's 
eye  as  it  rushed  along.  And  before  it  was  lost 
sight  of,  came  another  flame,  another  deafen- 
ing roar,  more  geysers, — and  so  it  went  on 
until  the  whistle  blew  the  "Cease  firing,"  and 
all  was  over. 

Then  the  ship  swung  around  that  we  might 
get  a  good  look  at  the  target-screens,  the  gun- 
crews poured  out  of  the  tops  of  the  turrets  and 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  155 

crowded  the  rail  to  see  what  they  had  done. 
A  mighty  cheer  went  up  when  the  good  news 
was  known, — then  the  ship  resumed  her  place 
in  line,  and  the  next  one  fired  in  her  turn. 

"Well,  how  do  you  like  it?"  "Wonderful!" 
was  all  I  could  say.  "Oh,  but  this  is  nothing 
compared  with  Battle  Practice;  that  is  when 
you  should  be  with  us."  And  well  do  I  wish 
I  might.  I  can  imagine  it.  Those  tremen- 
dous broadsides;  fourteen  guns  at  a  time 
instead  of  salvos  of  but  two  or  three;  and 
fourteen  geysers,  bunched  as  one,  leaping  into 
the  air!  "Wonderful!"  hardly  describes  it. 

For  another  run  I  took  my  position  in  the 
12-inch  sub-station,  far  below  the  armor  belt 
and  protective  deck.  A  little  room,  ten  by 
ten,  fitted  with  telephones,  range  plotting- 
boards,  visuals,  and  indicators, — the  heart  of 
the  ship  in  action.  For  it  was  from  here  that 
the  ranges  and  corrections  were  communicated 
to  the  guns  and  turrets  as  fast  as  they  could 
be  sent  down  by  the  spotters  aloft.  As  we 
came  on  the  range  the  tension  became  unbear- 
able. Not  a  word  was  spoken;  hardly  a 

breath  was  drawn Two  minutes  more! 

How  long  the  time  seemed!  A  few  messages 
came  down  from  the  after-twelve.  One  min- 
ute more!  "Initial  range:  eight-nine-double- 


156  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

O,  fivety-five!"  "Commence  firing!"  Stop- 
watches were  started — everyone  awaited  the 
first  shot.  There  was  a  mighty  quiver  as  the 
ship  shook  from  stem  to  stern,  and  a  dull 
report  heard  over  the  telephones.  "No 
change!"  A  hit!  Another  quiver!  "Fire  at 
target  No.  2!"  The  first  screen  had  been 
carried  away  "Down  fivety !"  The  last  shot  was 
high,  and  all  the  while  the  telephone  men  were 
repeating  over  the  wires:  "Range:  eight-eight- 
five-O,  fivety-five."  ....  Another  quiver — 
another  hit,  and  another,  another,  another— 
the  last  shot  had  been  fired.  We  heard  a  cheer 
from  the  men  in  the  handling-room  as  they 
came  out.  Seven  hits  out  of  eight  shots!  We 
rushed  up  on  deck  to  hear  all  about  it  from 
those  who  had  witnessed  the  firing,  and  to 
take  a  look  at  the  targets.  Yes,  there  they 
were.  Seven  big  rents  and  gaping  holes! 

SATURDAY,  APRIL  23RD. 

After  the  last  four  days  of  work  everyone 
was  glad  of  a  rest.  Most  of  the  morning  was 
spent  cleaning  ship,  scrubbing  the  decks  with 
sand,  replacing  all  articles  that  had  to  be 
removed  during  the  firing,  and  rendering 
everything  shipshape  again. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  157 

This  target  practice  certainly  has  been  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  Service.  Not  only 
have  different  methods  of  training  been  given 
a  real  test  under  trying  conditions,  but  both 
officers  and  men  have  had  the  best  opportunity 
imaginable  of  becoming  thoroughly  familiar 
with  their  weapons  in  every  way.  Each  shot 
has  had  its  lesson.  Every  breakdown  has  had 
its  value  in  that  it  has  brought  nearer  the  day 
when  that  fault  will  have  been  corrected,  and 
a  ship  may  go  into  battle  without  fear  of  its 
recurring.  Yes,  target  practice  has  its  advan- 
tages, very  great  advantages. 

SUNDAY,  APRIL  24TH. 

Day-firing  certainly  was  glorious,  but  yes- 
terday came  the  really  spectacular  part  of 
target  practice,  night-firing  with  the  3-inch 
torpedo-defence  batteries.  The  method  of 
holding  it  was  the  same,  except  that  the  targets 
were  illuminated  by  searchlights  from  the 
firing  ships.  It  was  a  beautiful  scene.  The 
beams  of  light,  and  the  flight  of  the  "tracers" 
through  the  inky  blackness  of  the  night  pre- 
sented a  spectacle  I  had  never  even  dreamt  of. 
The  idea  of  using  tracers  seems  to  have  been 
an  American  invention.  As  described  in  an 


158  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

English  newspaper,  they  consist  of  "a  small 
metal  cylinder  screwed  into  the  base  of  the 
shell,  containing  a  secret  composition  largely 
formed  of  magnesium.  As  the  shell  leaves 
the  muzzle,  it  shows  a  light,  which  continues 
burning  throughout  the  trajectory  of  the  shot 
through  the  air.  The  object  of  this  is  to  iden- 
tify the  shells  fired  by  the  different  guns  of 
the  batteries,"  and  thus  the  exact  flight  of  each 
projectile  can  be  watched  in  its  course  to  the 
target. 

Though  accustomed  to  the  noise  by  this 
time,  the  small  caliber  guns  were  decidedly 
disconcerting.  The  flash  by  night  was  more 
blinding  than  by  day,  the  explosion  far  more 
penetrating,  and  the  guns  fired  so  rapidly  that 
you  hardly  had  time  to  recover  from  one  before 
the  next  went  off.  As  one  officer  remarked: 
"It's  not  the  big  fellows  we  mind;  it's  the 
smaller  ones  that  do  the  cracking.  They  make 
you  deaf,  whereas  the  great  blasts  are  fine, 
because  they  sound  like  business." 

You  strain  your  eyes  trying  to  penetrate 
the  inky  blackness  beyond,  with  a  telescope  or 
pair  of  glasses  fixed  to  your  eyes.  The  flash 
blinds  you,  but  in  a  moment  you  see  the  pro- 
jectile, revealed  by  its  tracer,  curving  through 
the  air.  You  see  it  hit  the  target,  and  the 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  159 

splash  in  the  beam  of  the  searchlight  as  it 
strikes  the  water;  up  it  goes  several  hundred 
feet  as  it  ricochets;  a  thousand  yards  further 
it  comes  down ;  then  another  leap,  another,  and 
another,  and  then  it  disappears,  miles  away. 
Often  the  guns  are  fired  so  rapidly  that  many 
of  these  rockets  are  in  the  air  at  the  same  time, 
leaping  and  curving  like  fireworks  in  the  night. 
And  when  the  guns  of  several  calibers  are  fired 
at  the  same  time  you  see  the  big  fellows  over- 
haul and  pass  the  smaller  ones  before  they 
reach  the  target. 

All  the  officers  had  to  be  on  duty  during  the 
firing,  but  between  runs  they  would  gather  in 
the  wardroom  till  the  bugle  once  more  sum- 
moned them  up  on  deck.  The  main  subject  of 
conversation  during  those  moments  of  relaxa- 
tion naturally  was  what  we  were  doing  and 
what  the  others  had  done  and  what  we  surely 
would  do  on  the  next  run.  Someone,  perhaps, 
indulged  in  a  story,  but  the  tale  was  certain  to 
be  rudely  interrupted  by  the  report  of  a  shot. 
Another  ship  had  come  on  the  range!  And 
then  we  would  grab  a  sandwich  and  rush  up 
on  deck  or  peer  through  the  open  gun-ports 
to  see  what  she  was  doing.  At  one  o'clock  the 
caterer  very  considerately  furnished  us  with 
a  cold  supper,  which  was  greatly  appreciated; 


160  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

then  we  once  more  turned  our  attention  to  the 
firing  and  continued  the  exciting  sport  until 
the  break  of  dawn. 

In  anticipation  of  another  night  of  firing, 
we  took  advantage  of  every  opportunity  to 
snatch  a  little  sleep  in  the  course  of  the  day. 
But  about  four  it  began  to  blow,  and  the  water, 
which  had  heretofore  been  smooth,  in  a  short 
while  became  so  rough,  that  it  was  deemed 
wiser  to  postpone  the  practice,  as  the  repair 
party  in  the  sailing  launch  could  never  have 
lived  and  much  less  worked  in  such  a  sea. 

It  is  in  this  phase  of  target  practice  that 
you  feel  the  human  element,  and  experience  a 
return  to  the  good  old  days  of  the  "heave  and 
haul."  The  bare,  cleared-for-action  battle- 
ships belching  flames  from  their  guns  present 
a  sight  from  which  the  human  element  is 
entirely  hidden,  but  on  the  target-raft,  on  that 
narrow  platform  of  heavy  timbers,  tossing  in 
the  trough  of  the  sea,  you  can  see  it  when  the 
men  of  the  repair  party  toil  to  erect  new  masts 
and  hoist  fresh  screens  in  the  place  of  those 
that  have  been  shot  away.  It  is  a  work  of 
which  we  cannot  realize  the  danger.  Yet  the 
men  never  give  the  risks  a  thought,  and  exhibit 
a  recklessness  that  often  is  a  source  of  worry 
to  their  officers.  And  in  this  work  also  is  that 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  161 

splendid  relationship  between  officers  and  men, 
already  alluded  to,  brought  out;  side  by  side 
they  work  untiringly  and  cheerfully;  one  min- 
ute they  are  under  water,  hanging  on  to  the 
timbers  of  the  raft,  and  next  they  ride  on  the 
crest  of  a  comber;  but  the  work  goes  on,  and 
no  one  dreams  of  quitting  until  the  target  once 
more  is  in  its  place,  ready  to  be  demolished  by 
the  next  broadside. 

WEDNESDAY,  APRIL  27TH. 

Target  practice  is  over;  the  last  shot  has 
been  fired;  and  once  more  do  we  enjoy  the 
comforts  of  home.  The  wardroom  looks  like  a 
different  place,  now  that  the  looking-glasses, 
pictures,  electric  lights,  silver  and  china  have 
been  restored  to  their  former  places,  and  my 
room  again  is  habitable,  though  I  can  hardly 
say  that  I  am  at  all  tempted  to  use  my  electric 
fan. 

Everyone  is  in  a  happy  mood.  No  wonder. 
The  year's  work  is  done,  and  well  done.  Once 
more  are  we  homeward  bound,  and  within 
twenty-four  hours  we  shall  be  at  the  Navy 
Yard,  where  shore  leave  awaits  every  member 
of  the  crew. 

Not  until  nightfall  did  we  sight  the  Dela- 


162  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

ware  Cape  lights.  They  did  not  look  any 
different  from  other  lights  along  the  coast,  but 
I  stayed  up  just  to  be  able  to  say  that  I  had 
seen  them.  It  was  a  wonderful  night.  The 
sea  was  resplendent  with  phosphorescence, 
especially  up  forward,  where  the  bow-wave 
appeared  as  if  illumined  by  a  hundred  elec- 
tric lights,  and  the  ram  shone  like  a  beacon. 
At  eleven  we  finally  hove  to  off  Cape  Henlo- 
pen,  and  anchored  to  await  the  turn  of  the 
tide. 

THURSDAY,  APRIL  28TH. 

At  seven  we  were  under  way,  headed  for 
our  home  yard,  Philadelphia.  I  was  up 
betimes.  But  the  historic  waters  of  the  Dela- 
ware proved  decidedly  disappointing,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  I  turned  my  eyes  from 
the  flat,  barren  shores  of  the  bay  and  went 
below  to  pack  my  trunk. 

My  cruise  now  is  ended.  Four  months  have 
elapsed  since  first  I  trod  the  deck  of  the  Kan- 
sas in  my  capacity  of  "passenger."  All  too 
quickly  has  the  time  passed  by,  and  as  the 
moment  draws  near  when  I  shall  have  to  take 
my  leave,  I  feel  that  I  will  be  able  to  do  so 
only  with  feelings  of  genuine  regret  and  the 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  163 

warmest  affection  towards  the  Captain,  under 
whose  shadow  I  have  lived,  and  the  officers  and 
men  who  have  been  my  companions  and  ship- 
mates both  ashore  and  afloat. 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX 


U.  S.  S.  KANSAS 

First-class  Battleship. 

Length,  450  feet  between  perpendiculars ;  451  feet  on 
load  water-line. 

Extreme  breadth,  76.10  feet;  Draft,  24.6  feet. 

Displacement,  16,000  tons. 

Bunker  capacity,  2360.5  tons  of  coal. 

Engines,  2  inverted  4-cylinder  direct  acting  triple- 
expansion. 

Boilers,  12  Babcock  and  Wilcox  (2  furnaces  each). 

Complement:  1  Captain,  19  wardroom  officers,  20 
junior  officers,  9  warrant  officers,  27  chief  petty 
officers,  392  seamen,  42  artificers,  216  engineer 
force,  125  special  branch,  43  messmen,  72 
marines.  Total  853. 

Armament,  4  12-inch  B.  L.  R.,  8  8-inch  B.  L.  R., 
12  7-inch  R.  F.,  20  3-inch  R.  F.  G.,  12  3-pdr. 
R.  F.,  2  .30-cal.,  2  Colt  A. 

U.  S.  ATLANTIC  FLEET 
(January — May,  1910.) 

First  Division: 

Connecticut  (flagship  of  Commander-in-Chief). 
First-class  Battleship,  24  guns,  16,000  tons. 


168  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

Vermont. 

First-class  Battleship,  24  guns,  16,000  tons. 
Kansas. 

First-class  Battleship,  24  guns,  16,000  tons. 
Louisiana. 

First-class  Battleship,  24  guns,  16,000  tons. 

Second  Division: 

Minnesota  (flagship  of  Division  Commander). 

First-class  Battleship,  24  guns,  16,000  tons. 
New  Hampshire. 

First-class  Battleship,  24  guns,  16,000  tons. 
Idaho. 

First-class  Battleship,  20  guns,  13,000  tons. 
Mississippi. 

First-class  Battleship,  20  guns,  13,000  tons. 

Third  Division: 

Georgia  (flagship  of  Division  Commander). 

First-class  Battleship,  24  guns,  14,948  tons. 
Nebraska. 

First-class  Battleship,  24  guns,  14,948  tons. 
New  Jersey. 

First-class  Battleship,  24  guns,  14,948  tons. 
Rhode  Island. 

First-class  Battleship,  24  guns,  14,948  tons. 

Fourth  Division: 

Virginia  (flagship  of  Division  Commander). 

First-class  Battleship,  24  guns,  14,948  tons. 
Wisconsin. 

First-class  Battleship,  18  guns,  11,552  tons. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  169 

Missouri. 

First-class  Battleship,  20  guns,  12,500  tons. 
Michigan. 

First-class  Battleship,  8  guns,  16,000  tons. 

Armored  Cruisers: 
Montana. 

Armored  Cruiser,  20  guns,  14,500  tons. 
North  Carolina. 

Armored  Cruiser,  20  guns,  14,500  tons. 

Fleet  Auxiliaries: 
Celtic. 

Supply  ship,  6,428  tons. 
CuLgoa. 

Supply  ship,  6,300  tons. 
Panther. 

Repair  ship,  8  guns,  4,260  tons. 
Solace. 

Hospital  ship,  4,700  tons. 
Yank  ton. 

Tender,  4  guns,  975  tons. 
Patuxent. 

Tug,  755  tons. 
Potomac. 

Tug,  785  tons. 

DAILY  SEA  ROUTINE 

3.00  a.m.  Call  ship's  cook. 

3.50  Call   the   watch;    relieve   the   wheel   and 

lookouts. 


170  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

4.00  a.m.  Relieve  the  watch ;  light  smoking  lamp. 

4.30  Turn  to ;  out  smoking  lamp ;  pipe  sweep- 

ers ;  clear  up  the  decks ;  wash  clothes. 

5.00  Call  idlers  and  day  men. 

5.15  Trice   up   clotheslines;   execute   morning 

orders ;    at    sunrise    take    in    running 
lights;  station  masthead  lookout. 

6.30  Hoist  ashes. 

6.50  Trice  up  six  bell  hammock  cloths. 

7.00  Up    all    hammocks;    serve    out    washing 

water. 

7.20  Mess  gear;  watch  below;  light  smoking 

lamp. 

7.30  Breakfast;     watch     below;     clean     deck 

bright-work. 

7.50  Mess  gear;  watch  on  deck. 

8.00  Relieve  the  watch ;  breakfast. 

8.30  Turn     to;     out     smoking    lamp;     clean 

bright-work. 

9.00  Sick  call. 

9.15  Clear  up  deck;  down  towel  lines;  stow 

away  ditty  boxes  and  cleaning  gear; 
pipe  sweepers. 

9.25  Officers'   call.      Report   decks   ready   for 

quarters. 

9.30  Quarters;    after   which   drills   and   exer- 

cises as  per  routine. 

10.00  Relieve  wheel  and  lookouts;   signal   (1) 

absentees,  (2)  sick. 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  171 

10.30a.m.  Retreat   from   drill;   "extra   duty   call"; 

pipe  sweepers ;  hoist  ashes. 
11.30  Clean  up  decks;  pipe  sweepers. 

11.50  Mess  gear;  watch  below;  light  smoking 

lamp. 

Noon  Dinner;  watch  below;  signal  (1)  coal  on 

hand,  (2)  coal  expended,  (3)  latitude, 
(4)  longitude. 

12.20p.m.  Mess  gear;  watch  on  deck. 
12.30  Relieve  the  watch;  dinner. 

1.00  Turn  to;  out  smoking  lamp;  pipe  sweep- 

ers ;  start  work  about  deck. 
1.30  Serve  out  provisions;  drill  call. 

2.00  Hoist  ashes ;  relieve  the  wheel  and  look- 

out. 
2.15  Retreat  from  drill;  pipe  sweepers;  "extra 

duty  call." 

2.30  Instruction  of  landsmen;  hoist  ashes. 

3.30  Pipe  sweepers. 

4.00  Relieve  the  watch. 

4.30  Pipe  sweepers ;  clear  up  decks  ;  knock  off 

all  work. 

4.55  Officers'  call. 

5.00  Evening     quarters ;      close     water-tight 

doors. 
5.20  Mess  gear ;  watch  below ;  light  smoking 

lamp. 

5.30  Supper ;  watch  below ;  pipe  sweepers. 

5.50  Mess  gear;  watch  on  deck. 


172  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

6.00  p.m.  Relieve  the  watch ;  supper ;  relieve  wheel 

and  lookouts;  lifeboats  and  life-buoys 

reported  ready. 

6.30  Turn  to ;  pipe  sweepers ;  hoist  ashes. 

Sunset         Set  deck  lookouts  ;  running  lights ;  get  up 

wash  deck  gear. 
7.30  Hammocks ;    mate    of    splinter-deck    see 

water-tight  doors  and  hatches  closed. 
8.00  Relieve  the  watch,  wheel  and  lookouts ; 

out  smoking  lamp. 


PERSONNEL  OF  THE  NAVY 

OFFICERS  AND  MEN  OF  THE  ACTIVE  LIST, 
NOVEMBEE,  1911 

Line  Officers  (1,635): 

Admiral  of  the  Navy    .      .      .      ...  .......  1 

Rear  admirals 30 

Captains , .  ...    -  .  96 

Commanders 116 

Lieutenant  commanders     .....  211 

Lieutenants 351 

Lieutenants  (junior  grade)    ....  128 

Ensigns ......  421 

Midshipmen  at  sea 281 

Staff  Officers  (664)  : 

Medical  directors  .      .      ...      .      .  15 

Medical  inspectors        .      ...      .      .  17 

Surgeons 85 

Passed  assistant  surgeons       ....  142 

Assistant  surgeons 42 

Acting  assistant  surgeons       .      .    .  .  : ;  >    •  9 

Pay  directors  .       .      .      ...      .      ^  14 

Pay  inspectors        .  *  /..   •  :V     .      .     , »      ,v  15 

Paymasters       .      .      .      .     ...      .      »      .  76 

Passed  assistant  paymasters  .    7.    ...     .  56 

Assistant  paymasters  .      .-     .      .      ,      ,v  40 


174  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

Chaplains 24 

Professors  of  mathematics       ....  15 

Naval  constructors 43 

Assistant  naval  constructors  ....  32 

Civil  engineers 29 

Assistant  civil  engineers 10 

Warrant  Officers  (645): 

Chief  boatswains 101 

Boatswains 60 

Chief  gunners 88 

Gunners 62 

Chief  machinists 105 

Machinists 94 

Chief  carpenters 70 

Carpenters 37 

Chief  sailmakers 3 

Pharmacists 25 

Enlisted  men  (47,500)  : 

Petty  officers  and  enlisted  force    .      .      .      47,500 

REQUIREMENTS  FOR  ENLISTMENT  IN  THE  NAVY 

An  applicant  for  enlistment  must  be  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  native  or  naturalized,  between  17 
and  35  years  old,  of  good  character  and  habits,  able 
to  read,  write,  and  speak  English.  A  minor  under 
18  enlists  for  minority  only,  and  must  furnish  sworn 
consent  of  parent  or  guardian.  Applicants  over  18 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  175 

enlist  for  four  years,  and  minors  must  furnish  a  birth 
certificate  or  verified  written  statement  of  parent  or 
guardian  as  to  their  age  and  height.  Applicants 
must  be  in  good  physical  condition,  free  from  any 
disease  or  deformity,  at  least  64  inches  high  and 
weighing  128  pounds  for  an  adult,  with  weight 
increasing  in  proportion  to  height.  A  minor  must 
be  at  least  62  inches  tall  and  weigh  110  pounds, 
increasing  proportionately  with  age  and  height. 

STATISTICS  OF  ENUSTMENT  IN  THE  NAVY,  1911 

Number  in  service      .      .      .      .  V- .      .      .  47,612 

Number  of  applicants      .      .      .      .      »      ,  79,458 

Applicants  enlisted 15,724 

Percentage  of  desertions       .      .      .      .      .  4.16 

Discharge  by  purchase ,    .  461 

CITIZENSHIP  OF  THE  ENLISTED  FORCE,  1911 

Native  born    .      .      .      .      .      .      .      .      .  42,752 

Naturalized    .      .•  :%    V     .  -    .      .      .      .  3,050 

Aliens  of  declared  intentions       .      ,    <-, ,      ,  192 

Aliens  resident  in  the  United  States       *:v  »  170 

Aliens  non-resident  in  the  United  States      *r.  208 

Natives  of  Porto  Rico      .  w^  , r  v  ,t; f.  j „    ,*  47 

Natives  of  Guam        .      ..- ;.-•.;.;.   #--vv;0  >...•>«.     *^  70 

Natives  of  Samoa       ....    ^^i,.-   ,.  81 

Natives  of  the  PhiHppines     .      *      .  -  *     ;.^  1,042 


176                 A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

PAY,  PROMOTION  AND  REWARDS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Commissioned  Officers  of  the  Lme:  Yearly  Pay 

Admirals $13,500  -  $14,850 

Real  admirals 6,000-      8,800 

Captains 4,000-      5,500 

Commanders 3,500-      4,950 

Lieutenant  commanders     .      .  3,000  -      4,400 

Lieutenants 2,400-      3,696 

Lieutenants  (junior  grade)     .  2,000  -      3,080 

Ensigns 1,700-      2,618 

Warrant  Officers  of  the  Lme:  Yearly  Pay 

Chief  boatswains     ....  $  1,700-$  1,870 

Chief  gunners 1,700-      1,870 

Chief  machinists      ....  1,700-      2,618 

Boatswains 875-      2,250 

Gunners 875-      2,250 

Machinists 875-      2,250 

Mates 625-      1,500 

Commissioned  Officers  of  the  Staff :          Yearly  Pay 

Medical  directors    ....  $  4,000-$  5,500 

Medical  inspectors        .      .      .  3,500-      4,950 

Surgeons 3,000-      4,400 

Passed  assistant  surgeons  .      .  2,400  -      3,696 

Assistant  surgeons        .      .      .  2,000  -      3,080 

Acting  assistant  surgeons        .  1,000-      1,700 

Pay  directors 4,000  -      5,500 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  177 

Yearly  Pay 

Pay  inspectors $  3,500-$  4,950 

Paymasters 2,400-  4,400 

Passed  assistant  paymasters   .  2,400—  3,696 

Assistant  paymasters    .      .      .  1,700-  3,080 

Chaplains     ......  2,000-  4,400 

Professors  of  mathematics       .  2,400  —  5,500 

Naval  constructors       .      .      .  2,400-  5,500 

Assistant  naval  constructors  .  2,000—  3,696 

Civil  engineers 2,400  -  5,500 

Assistant  civil  engineers    .      .  1,700  -  3,080 

Warrant  Officers  of  the  Staff:  Yearly  Pay 
Chief  carpenters     .      .      .      .    $  1,700-$  1,870 

Chief  sailmakers      ....  1,700-      1,870 

Carpenters 875-      2,250 

Sailmakers 875-      2,250 

Pharmacists 875-      2,250 

Paymasters'  clerks        ...  875  -      2,250 

Remarks : 

Rations,  Officers.  All  officers  of  the  Navy,  except 
commissioned  officers  of  the  line,  medical  and  pay 
corps,  chaplains,  and  commissioned  warrant  officers, 
are  entitled  to  a  ration  or  commutation  therefor  at 
the  rate  of  thirty  cents  per  day  while  attached  to  and 
doing  duty  aboard  a  seagoing  vessel  of  the  Navy. 

Retirements.  An  officer  of  the  Navy  may,  after 
thirty  years'  service,  upon  his  own  application,  in  the 
discretion  of  the  President,  be  retired  from  active 


178  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

service  and  placed  upon  the  retired  list  with  three- 
fourths  of  the  highest  grade  of  his  grade. 

Enlisted  men: 

CHIEF   PETTY   OFFICERS 

Seaman  Branch:  Mp°*ly 

Chief  masters-at-arms $72 

Chief  boatswains'  mates         ....  55 

Chief  gunners'  mates 55 

Chief  turret  captains 66 

Chief  quartermasters 55 

Artificer  Branch: 

Chief  machinists'  mates $77 

Chief  electricians 66 

Chief  carpenters'  mates         ....  55 

Chief  water  tenders 55 

Special  Branch: 

Chief  yeomen $66 

Hospital  stewards 66 

Bandmasters 57 

Chief  commissary  steward    ....  77 

PETTY    OFFICERS,    FIRST    CLASS 

Seaman  Branch:  M|na*ljr 

Masters-at-arms,  first  class        .      .      .  $44 

Boatswains'  mates,  first  class     ...  44 

Gunners'  mates,  first  class    ....  44 

Turret  captains,  first  class  ....  55 

Quartermasters,  first  class  ....  44 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  179 


Artificer  Branch  : 

Boilermakers        .......  $72 

Machinists'  mates,  first  class       ...  61 

Coppersmiths       .......  61 

Shipfitters,  first  class     .....  61 

Electricians,  first  class  .....  55 

Blacksmiths   ........  55 

Plumbers  and  fitters       .....  50 

Sailmakers'  mates     ......  44 

Carpenters'  mates,  first  class     ...  44 

Water  tenders     .......  44 

Painters,  first  class  ......  44 

Special  Branch: 

Yeomen,  first  class    ......  $44 

First  musicians  .......  40 

Commissary  steward       .....  66 

Ship's  cooks,  first  class  .....  61 

Baker,  first  class       .      .....  50 

PETTY  OFFICERS,  SECOND  CLASS 

Seaman  Branch:  Monthly 

Masters-at-arms,  second  class    .      .      .  $39 

Boatswains'  mates,  second  class       .      .  39 

Gunners'  mates,  second  class     ...  39 

Quartermasters,  second  class     ...  39 

Artificer  Branch  : 

Machinists'  mates,  second  class       .      .  $44 

Electricians,  second  class     ....  44 

Shipfitters,  second  class       ....  44 


Monthly 
Pay 


180  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


Oilers        ......... 

Carpenters'  mates,  second  class       .      .  39 

Printers   .........  39 

Painters,  second  class     .....  39 

Special  Branch: 

Yeomen,  second  class     .....  $39 

Ship's  cook,  second  class       ....  44 

Baker,  second  class  ......  39 

PETTY  OFFICERS,   THIRD   CLASS 

Seaman  Branch:  Mpnatyhly 

Masters-at-arms,  third  class      .      .      .  $33 

Coxswains      ........  33 

Gunners'  mates,  third  class  ....  33 

Quartermasters,  third  class        ...  33 

Artificer  Branch: 

Electricians,  third  class        ....  $33 

Carpenters'  mates,  third  class  ...  33 

Painters,  third  class        .....  33 

Special  Branch: 

Yeomen,  third  class         .....  $33 

Hospital  apprentices,  first  class       .      .  33 

Ship's  cook,  third  class  .....  33 

SEAMEN,    FIRST    C:LASS 

Seaman  Branch:  M£*ly 

Seamen  gunners         ......  $29 

Seamen    .........  26 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  181 


Artificer  Branch  : 

Firemen,  first  class  .      .....      .  $39 

Shipwrights         .      .      .      ...      .  28 

Special  Branch: 

Musicians,  first  class       .      .      .•      .      .  $35 

Ship's  cook,  fourth  class     .      ...  28 

SEAMEN,   SECOND   CLASS 

Seaman  Branch:  Mf£*ly 

Ordinary  seamen       *    -  »  *      ..     .      .      $21 

Artificer  Branch  : 

Firemen,  second  class      .....      $33 

Special  Branch  : 

Musicians,  second  class  .  .      .   '  .      .      $33 

Buglers    .      .   '  .J  """"",'  v  .  '  .      .      .      .        33 

Hospital  apprentices      .  .      .      .      .        22 

SEAMEN,  THIRD  CLASS 

Seaman  Branch:  Mp"tyly 

Apprentice  seamen  .      .     '.  '.      .      .      $17.6 

Artificer  Branch: 

Coal-passers        '.      ...      .      .      .      $24 

Special  Branch: 

Landsmen      .      .     '.      .      .      .      .      .     $17.6 


MESSMEN   BRANCH 

Stewards  to  commanders-in-chief  .      .  $60 

Cooks  to  commanders-in-chief    .  *  -  :.  50 

Stewards  to  commandants  .      .  .  '•••.-•••  60 

Cooks  to  commandants  .      .      .  *fe  50 


182  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

Monthly 
Pay 

Cabin  stewards $50 

Cabin  cooks 45 

Wardroom  stewards 50 

Wardroom  cooks 45 

Steerage  stewards 35 

Steerage  cooks 30 

Warrant  officers'  stewards  ....  35 

Warrant  officers'  cooks 30 

Mess  attendants,  first  class  ....  24 

Mess  attendants,  second  class  ...  20 

Mess  attendants,  third  class       ...  16 

Remarks : 

Seamen  Gunners'  Certificate,  etc. — Men  who  have 
successfully  completed  a  prescribed  course  of  instruc- 
tion for  seamen  gunners  or  petty  officers  may  be 
given,  by  the  Bureau  of  Navigation,  a  certificate  to 
that  effect,  which  shall  entitle  them  to  receive  $2  per 
month  in  addition  to  the  pay  of  the  rating  in  which 
they  are  serving;  such  certificates  to  continue  in 
force  only  during  the  enlistments  in  which  the  men 
were  respectively  graduated,  unless  renewed  by  re- 
enlistment  for  four  years  within  four  months  from 
date  of  honorable  discharge.  This  provision  shall  take 
effect  from  and  after  July  1,  1905,  but  any  enlisted 
man  then  in  the  service  who  holds  such  a  certificate 
shall  not  be  deprived  of  the  benefits  of  the  same  dur- 
ing the  term  of  enlistment  under  which  he  is  then 
serving.  Men  holding  certificates  as  seamen  gun- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  183 

ners  are  entitled  to  the  pay  prescribed  for  said  rating 
and  are  entitled  to  re-enlist  at  any  time  as  such  at 
the  base  rate  of  $26  per  month ;  but  if  given  any  other 
rating  than  that  of  seamen  gunner,  the  holder  of  a 
seamen  gunner's  certificate  will  not  receive  additional 
pay  therefor,  unless  in  continuous  service. 

Good-Conduct  Medals. — Each  enlisted  man  of  the 
Navy  shall  receive  75  cents  per  month,  in  addition  to 
the  pay  of  his  rating,  for  each  good-conduct  medal, 
pin,  or  bar  which  he  may  heretofore  have  been,  or 
shall  hereafter  be,  awarded.  On  and  after  September 
5,  1904,  the  date  of  the  award  of  a  good-conduct 
medal,  pin,  or  bar  shall  be  the  date  of  the  holder's 
discharge  by  reason  of  the  expiration  of  the  enlist- 
ment for  which  the  medal,  pin,  or  bar  is  given,  the 
allowance  of  75  cents  per  month  to  be  reckoned  from 
said  date  of  award:  Provided,  That  nothing  herein 
contained  shall  be  construed  to  authorize  any  change 
in  the  date  of  award  of  any  good-conduct  medal,  pin, 
or  bar  heretofore  awarded  or  to  grant  any  arrears  of 
allowances  on  account  thereof. 

Coxswains  of  Steam  Launches,  etc. — Coxswains 
detailed  as  coxswains  of  boats  propelled  by  machin- 
ery, or  as  Coxswains  to  Commanders-in-Chief,  shall 
receive  $5  per  month  in  addition  to  their  pay. 

Service  on  Submarines. — All  enlisted  men  of  the 
Navy  shall  receive  $5  per  month  in  addition  to  their 
pay  while  serving  on  board  of  submarine  vessels  of 
the  Navy.  Besides  the  $5  per  month  extra  pay 


184  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

allowed  them  for  submarine  service,  enlisted  men  serv- 
ing with  submarine  torpedo  boats,  and  having  been 
reported  by  the  commanding  officers  to  the  Navy 
Department  as  qualified  for  submarine  torpedo  boat 
work,  shall  receive  $1  additional  pay  for  each  day 
during  any  part  of  which  they  shall  have  been  sub- 
merged in  a  submarine  torpedo  boat  while  underway : 
Provided,  however,  That  such  further  additional  pay 
shall  not  exceed  $15  in  any  one  calendar  month. 

Seamen  in  Charge  of  Hold. — Seamen  in  charge  of 
holds  shall  receive  $5  per  month  in  addition  to  their 
pay. 

JacJcs-of-the-Dust,  Lamplighters,  etc. — Ordinary 
seamen  detailed  as  Jacks-of-the-Dust,  or  as  Lamp- 
lighters, shall  receive  $5  per  month  in  addition  to 
their  pay. 

Messmen. — Enlisted  men  detailed  as  crew  messmen 
shall,  while  so  acting,  except  when  assigned  as  reliefs 
during  the  temporary  absence  of  the  regular  crew 
messmen,  receive  extra  compensation  at  the  rate  of 
$5  per  month. 

(a)  Mess  attendants  are  not  entitled  to  additional 
compensation  allowed  other  enlisted  men  detailed  as 
messmen. 

(b)  Enlisted  men,  detailed  as  crew  messmen,  are 
not  entitled  to  the  extra  pay  provided  for  such  detail 
while  on  authorized  leave  of  absence. 

Detained  after  Expiration  of  Enlistment. — En- 
listed men  afloat  detained  beyond  their  regular  term 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  185 

of  enlistment  until  the  return  to  the  United  States  of 
the  vessel  to  which  they  belong,  under  the  provisions 
of  section  1422  of  the  Revised  Statutes,  shall  receive 
for  the  time  during  which  they  are  so  detained  an 
addition  of  one-fourth  of  their  former  pay,  "com- 
puted on  the  total  pay  which  they  are  entitled  to 
receive." 

(a)  If  an  enlisted  man  be  retained  in  the  service 
after  the  expiration  of  his  enlistment  at  his  own 
request,  he  is  not  entitled  to  the  one-fourth  additional 

pay. 

Duty  in  Fire  Room,  Seamen  and  Ordinary  Sea- 
men.— Seamen  and  ordinary  seamen  detailed  for  duty 
as  firemen  or  coal-passers  shall  receive  in  addition  to 
the  pay  of  their  ratings  extra  pay  at  the  rate  of 
33  cents  per  day  for  the  time  so  employed. 

(a)  A  native  seaman  or  native  ordinary  seaman  of 
the  Insular  force  who  is  detailed  to  perform  duty  as 
fireman  or  coal-passer  is  entitled  to  extra  compensa- 
tion at  the  rate  of  33  cents  per  day  while  so  employed. 

Signalmen. — Enlisted  men  of  the  naval  service  reg- 
ularly detailed  as  Signalmen  shall  receive  the  follow- 
ing extra  compensation  in  addition  to  the  monthly 
pay  of  their  rating :  Signalmen,  first  class,  $3 ;  Sig- 
nalmen, second  class,  $2;  Signalmen,  third  class,  $1. 

Chief  Petty  Officers,  Permanent  Appointment. — 
All  chief  petty  officers  of  the  Navy,  including  Chief 
Water  Tenders,  who,  on  or  after  July  1,  1903,  shall 
receive  permanent  appointments  after  qualifying 


186  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

therefor,  shall  be  paid  at  the  rate  of  $70  a  month; 
those  who  serve  under  permanent  appointments  issued 
prior  to  said  date,  or  under  acting  appointments, 
shall  be  paid  at  the  rates  now  in  force.  The  pay  of 
Chief  Water  Tenders  who  hold  acting  appointments 
shall  be  $50  a  month. 

Gwn  Pointers. — After  October  1,  1903,  enlisted 
men  of  the  Navy,  after  having  qualified  as  gun 
pointers,  and  who  are  regularly  detailed  as  gun 
pointers  by  the  commanding  officer  of  the  vessel,  shall 
receive  monthly,  in  addition  to  the  pay  of  their  re- 
spective ratings,  extra  pay  as  follows:  Heavy  gun 
pointers  (for  guns  of  8-inch  caliber  or  larger),  first 
class,  $10 ;  second  class,  $6.  Intermediate  gun  point- 
ers (for  guns  from  4-inch  to  7-inch,  inclusive),  first 
class,  $8;  second  class,  $4.  Secondary  gun  pointers 
(for  guns  from  1-pounder  to  3-inch,  inclusive),  first 
class,  $4 ;  second  class,  $2. 

(a)  Extra  pay  shall  be  allowed  a  gun  pointer 
qualified  prior  to  November  28,  1907,  during  not  less 
than  two  years  from  and  after  the  date  of  his  qualifi- 
cation ;  if  qualified  on  or  subsequent  to  November  28, 
1907,  during  such  time  only  as  he  remains  qualified: 
Provided,  That  extra  pay  shall  only  be  allowed  a 
gun  pointer  while  he  is  regularly  detailed  as  a  gun 
pointer  at  a  gun  of  the  class  at  which  he  qualified. 

Gun  Captains. — Enlisted  men  of  the  Navy  regu- 
larly detailed  by  the  commanding  officer  of  a  vessel 
as  gun  captains,  except  at  secondary  battery  guns, 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  187 

shall  receive,  in  addition  to  the  pay  of  their  respec- 
tive rating,  $5  per  month,  which  in  the  case  of  men 
holding  certificates  as  gun  captains,  or  of  graduation 
from  the  gun-captain  class,  petty  officers'  school, 
shall  include  the  $£  per  month  to  which  such  certifi- 
cates entitle  them. 

Ship's  Tailor  and  Tailor's  Helper. — Any  enlisted 
man  of  the  Navy  detailed  to  perform  the  duties  of 
"ship's  tailor"  on  board  of  a  vessel  having  a  comple- 
ment of  600  men  or  more,  exclusive  of  marines,  shall 
receive  $20  per  month  in  addition  to  the  monthly  pay 
of  his  rating;  on  a  vessel  having  a  complement  of 
from  300  to  600  men,  exclusive  of  marines,  $15  per 
month  in  addition  to  the  monthly  pay  of  his  rating ; 
on  a  vessel  having  a  complement  of  less  than  300 
men,  exclusive  of  marines,  $10  per  month  in  addition 
to  the  monthly  pay  of  his  rating.  Any  enlisted  man 
of  the  Navy  detailed  as  "tailor's  helper"  on  board  of 
a  vessel  having  a  complement  of  600  men  or  more, 
exclusive  of  marines,  shall  receive  $10  per  month  in 
addition  to  the  monthly  pay  of  his  rating :  Provided, 
That  the  total  pay  of  an  enlisted  man  detailed  to 
perform  the  duties  of  "ship's  tailor"  shall  not  exceed 
$50  per  month,  and  of  "tailor's  helper"  shall  not 
exceed  $40  per  month. 

(a)  An  enlisted  man  detailed  as  "ship's  tailor"  is 
entitled  to  the  additional  pay  as  such  while  on  leave 
or  on  temporary  duty  ashore,  provided  that  no  one 


188  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

was  detailed  to  perform  the  duties  of  "ship's  tailor" 
during  his  absence. 

Re-enlistments  Subsequent  to  November  #7, 1906. — 
To  provide  adequate  compensation  for  trained  men, 
the  pay  now  prescribed  by  Executive  Order  for  each 
rating  in  the  Navy  is  hereby  increased  $5  per  month 
during  the  second  period  of  service,  and  a  further 
sum  of  $3  per  month  during  each  and  every  subse- 
quent period  of  service :  Provided,  That  only  enlisted 
men  who  are  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  whose 
second  and  subsequent  periods  of  service  each  follow 
next  after  service  in  the  Navy  that  was  terminated 
by  reason  of  expiration  of  enlistment,  shall  receive 
the  benefits  of  the  increased  pay  named  herein: 
Provided,  -further,  That  in  the  case  of  the  men  who 
are  or  were  finally  discharged  from  the  Navy  by  rea- 
son of  expiration  of  enlistment,  the  first  enlistment  on 
or  after  the  date  of  this  order  shall  be  considered  the 
second  period  of  service  which  shall  carry  with  it  the 
increased  pay  provided  by  this  order;  except  that 
men  discharged  on  recommendations  of  boards  of 
medical  survey  shall,  if  they  re-enter  the  service,  be 
given  credit  for  any  previous  periods  of  service  in  the 
Navy  which  were  terminated  by  reason  of  expiration 
of  enlistment. 

Chief  Petty  Officers  Detailed  as  Instructors  of 
Apprentice  Seamen. — Chief  petty  officers  detailed  as 
instructors  of  apprentice  seamen  at  naval  stations 
who  qualify  as  instructors  by  examination  shall  re- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  189 

ceive  hereafter  in  addition  to  their  pay  the  sum  of 
$10  per  month  while  so  detailed,  such  pay  to  be  con- 
sidered extra  pay  for  special  duty. 

(a)  Chief  petty  officers  receiving  extra  compensa- 
tion of  $10  per  month  for  duty  as  instructors  of 
apprentice  seamen  are  entitled  to  the  additional  pay 
for  the  time  while  they  are  on  leave  or  absent  under- 
going examination  for  promotion  to  warrant  officers : 
Provided,  Their  details  are  unrevoked  and  details 
were  not  made  to  supply  their  places  while  absent. 

Apprentice  Chief  Petty  Officers. — Apprentice  sea- 
men detailed  as  apprentice  chief  petty  officers,  ap- 
prentice petty  officers,  first,  second,  or  third  class, 
in  connection  with  the  instruction  of  apprentice  sea- 
men at  naval  stations,  shall  receive  hereafter  in  addi- 
tion to  their  pay  the  sum  of  $2.50,  $2,  $1.50,  and  $1 
each  per  month,  respectively,  while  so  detailed ;  such 
pay  to  be  considered  extra  pay  for  special  duty. 

Hospital  Corps. — "The  pay  of  enlisted  men  of  the 
Hospital  Corps  shall  be  the  same  as  that  provided  for 
the  corresponding  ratings  of  the  seaman  branch  and 
other  staff  corps  of  the  Navy." 

Clothing  Bounty. — On  and  after  July  1,  1907,  all 
enlisted  men  of  the  Navy  shall  receive,  on  first  enlist- 
ment, outfits  amounting  in  value  as  follows :  Samoans 
and  such  men  of  the  messman  branch  as  are  not 
required  to  possess  complete  outfits,  not  to  exceed 
$20 ;  men  of  the  Insular  force,  not  to  exceed  $30 ;  all 
other  enlisted  men,  not  to  exceed  $60. 


190  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

Any  man  enlisting  on  or  after  December  1,  1906, 
who  is  discharged  during  the  first  six  months  of  a 
first  enlistment  for  any  cause  other  than  disability 
incurred  in  the  line  of  duty,  shall  have  checked 
against  his  accounts  prior  to  discharge  the  cost  of 
such  portion  of  outfit  allowed  on  first  enlistment  as 
he  may  have  drawn. 

Continuous  Service  Pay. — Any  man  who  has  re- 
ceived an  honorable  discharge  from  his  last  term  of 
enlistment,  or  who  has  received  a  recommendation  for 
re-enlistment  upon  the  expiration  of  his  last  term  of 
service  of  not  less  than  three  years,  who  re-enlists  for 
a  term  of  four  years  within  four  months  from  the 
date  of  his  discharge,  shall  receive  an  increase  of 
$1.36  per  month  to  the  pay  prescribed  for  the  rating 
in  which  he  serves  for  each  consecutive  re-enlistment. 

Retired  Pay. — The  pay  of  all  commissioned,  war- 
rant, and  appointed  officers,  and  enlisted  men  of  the 
Navy  now  on  the  retired  list  shall  be  based  on  the 
pay,  as  herein  provided  for,  for  the  commissioned, 
warrant,  and  appointed  officers  and  enlisted  men  of 
corresponding  rank  and  service  on  the  active  list ;  an 
enlisted  man  on  the  retired  list  is  entitled  to  the  full 
amount  of  75  cents  a  month  for  each  good-conduct 
medal  held,  in  addition  to  75  per  cent  of  the  pay  of 
which  he  was  in  receipt  at  the  date  of  retirement. 

Death  Gratuity. — Payment  of  death  gratuity  to 
widow  or  previously  designated  beneficiary  of  de- 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


191 


ceased  enlistment  man  of  the  active  list  is  authorized 
under  the  same  conditions  as  in  the  case  of  officers. 

Insular  Force: 

Authorized,  not  to  exceed  500  Filipinos,  in  the 

following  ratings :  Mg£ly 

Native  coxswains $15 

Native  seamen 12 

Native  ordinary  seamen         ....  10 

Native  machinists 28-20 

Native  firemen 18-5 

Native  coal-passers 1 

Native  stewards 5 

Native  cooks 3 

Native  mess  attendants 8 


Nurse  Corps  (female) : 
Superintendents         . 

Nurses   (female)        . 


Annual  Pay 

$1,800 

Monthly  Pay 

$50  -  65 


MARINE  CORPS 

Officers:  Yearly  Pay 

Major-general  commandant  .       .  $8,000  $ 

Colonels 4,000-5,000 

Lieutenant  colonels     ....  3,500  -  4,500 

Majors 3,000-4,000 

Captains 2,400-3,360 

First  lieutenants 2,000  -  2,800 

Second  lieutenants  .      .  1,700-2,380 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 


Enlisted  Men:  Monthly  Pay 

Sergeant  major      ......  $45-69 

Quartermaster  sergeant     .      .      .      .  45-69 

First  sergeant  .......  45-69 

Drum  major      .......  45  —  69 

Gunnery  sergeant  ......  35-59 

Sergeant      ........  30-48 

Corporal      .      .      ......  21-39 

Drummer     ........  15-25 

Trumpeter         .......  15-25 

Private         ........  15-25 

Musicians     ........  50-60 

ADDITIONAL  PAY  PEE  MONTH 

Mess  sergeant  (on  shore  duty  only)       .      .  $  6.00 

Cooks,  first  class  (on  shore  duty  only)  .      .  10.00 

Cooks,  second  class  (on  shore  duty  only)       *  8  .  00 

Cooks,  third  class  (on  shore  duty  only)  .      .  7.00 

Cooks,  fourth  class  (on  shore  duty  only)       .  5  .  00 

Messmen  (ashore  and  afloat)       .      .      .      .  5.00 

Gun  pointers  (afloat  only)  : 
Heavy  gun  pointers  : 

First  class     ........  10.00 

Second  class  ........  6  .  00 

Intermediate  gun  pointers: 

First  class     ........  8.00 

Second  class        .......  4.00 

Secondary  gun  pointers  : 

First  class     ........  4.00 

Second  class  2.00 


A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG  193 

Signalmen,  first  class  (ashore  and  afloat)   .   $  3.00 

Signalmen,  second  class  (ashore  and  afloat)  2.00 

Signalmen,  third  class  (ashore  and  afloat)  .  1.00 

Expert  riflemen  (ashore  and  afloat)       .      .'-.*  5.00 

Sharpshooters  (ashore  and  afloat)  .      .    :  .  3.00 
Marksmen  (ashore  and  afloat)    .      ;      .      .2.00 

For  each  conduct  medal,  pin  or  bar  .      .      .  .75 
Members  of  Marine  Band,  for  playing  at 

White  House  and  public  grounds  .      .      .  4 . 00 


AVERAGE  COST  OF  MAINTENANCE  OF  VESSELS  OF  THE 
NAVY  OF  EACH  TYPE 

Cost  of  commission  Repairs  to  hull 

including  pay  of  officers  and  machinery  and 

and  enlisted  men  equipage 

Battleships  .  .  .$596,165.02  $86,352.16 

Armored  cruisers  .  717,646.35  116,106.37 

Scout  cruisers  .  .  300,391.17  44,649.31 

Cruisers,  first  class  .  540,808.57  29,469.71 

Cruisers,  second  class  90,808 . 68  3,372 . 80 

Cruisers,  third  class  .  202,178 . 65  22,332 . 36 

Gunboats  .  !  .  .  155,768.64  7,411.25 
Torpedo-boat 

destroyers  .  .  75,800.20  23,521.42 

Torpedo  boats  .  .  49,250 . 43  6,506 . 60 
Submarine  torpedo 

boats  .  .  .  17,462.27  4,514.21 

Colliers  .  .  .  .  .  59,119 . 35  17,168 . 32 


194  A  LANDSMAN'S  LOG 

GUNS  AND  PROJECTILES 

12-inch  8-inch 

Cost  complete $65,120      $21,294 

Life  before  relining  is  neces- 
sary (rounds)  ....  200  300 

Range,  15°  elevation  (yards)  .      24,900        19,000 

Cost  of  one  round  ammunition  $      424      $      120 

Weight  of  gun  (tons)  .       .       .  56.1  18.7 

Penetration  of  face  hardened 

armor,  10,000  yds.  (inches)  15.6  7.2 

Cost  of  mount $52,357      $14,417 

CONSUMPTION  OF  COAL 

The  ships  of  the  Navy  consumed  during  the  fiscal 
year  ending  June  30,  1911,  744,423  tons  of  coal,  in 
the  following  proportions  and  for  the  purposes 
named : 

50.91  per  cent  for  steaming. 

1.60  per  cent  for  galleys. 

1.84  per  cent  for  steam  launches. 

13.65  per  cent  for  electric  lighting  and  power. 

32  per  cent  for  heating,  flushing,  etc. 


INDEX 

Abandon  ship  drill 55 

Admiral's  inspections    63,  67,  68,  86,  96 

Anchor  drill 48 

Athletics.    See  baseball,  boat  racing,  boxing. 

Atlantic  Fleet,  U.  S 167 

Avon,  visit  of  the , 113 

Baseball  95,  108,  115 

Battalion  mess  91 

Battenberg  Squadron  Cup 109 

Battle  plan  exercises 67,  71,  80,  83,  88 

Belmont  Challenge  Cup 109 

Boat  racing 95,  102,  104,  108,  115 

Boarding  the  Kansas  5 

Boqueron,  Cuba 45 

Bow  wave    129 

Boxing 43,  54 

Brigade  drills  on  shore 65,  78,  87 

Bridge,  on  the  12 

Bugle  calls    37 

Caimanera,  Cuba 23,  45,  75 

Camp  on  Deer  Point,  in 90-102 

Castle  Island  20,  128 

Central  station,  the  69 

Citizenship  of  the  enlisted  force 175 

Civilians,  status  of,  on  board  warships   36,  40,  69 

Cleaning  ship.     (See  "Field  day.") 

Cleanliness  in  the  Navy 100 

Coal,  consumption  of   194 

Coaling  ship   26,  51,  110 

Collision  drill 85 

Colors   8 

Compass  corrections 126 

Competition  in  the  Navy 118,  140 

Contentment  in  the  Navy 120 


196  INDEX 

Courts  martial  9 

Crooked  Island   20 

Cuban  scenery   21 

Daiquiri,  Cuba 58 

Deer  Point,  camp  on 90 

Dinner,  in  the  wardroom,  7;  the  crews,  8. 

Discipline  in  the  Navy 9,  26,  49,  78,  121 

"Dotter"  practice 76,  111 

Drexel  cup  races  109 

Drills:  abandon  ship,  55;  anchor,  48;  brigade,  65,  78,  87; 
collision,  85;  fire,  49;  fire  control,  71,  126;  general 
quarters,  26,  65,  69 ;  loading,  77,  82 ;  man-overboard,  34 ; 
mine  laying,  75;  searchlight,  79;  torpedo,  75. 

Dunlap  cup  races  109 

Duties  on  board  ship . .  17,  37 

Easter  Sunday    129 

Enlisted  force,  citizenship  of  the 175 

Enlistment,  requirements  for   174 

Enlistments  in  the  Navy  175 

Entertainments    54 

Etiquette  on  board 40 

Evolutions,  fleet  11,  12,  13,  16,  19,  20 

"Field    day"    53,  71 

Fire  control 71,  126 

Fire  drill  49 

Fog,  steaming  in  a 136 

Foretop,  in  the Ill,  139 

Full  power  trials 40 

General  quarters    26,  65 

"Gilded  Rooster"    104 

Guard  duty  on  board 72 

Guantanamo  Bay 22,  29,  44,  113 

Guantanamo,  Cuba 23,  45,  118 

Gun-deck,  on  the 146 

Gunnery  training 75,  111,  118,  139 

Guns,  naval    194 

Hampton  Roads,  Va 131 

Heavy  weather,  battleships  in 11 


INDEX  197 

Inspection,  Executive  Officer's  84 

Insular  force,  naval 191 

Joining  the  fleet  5 

Kansas,  battleship,  description  of 167 

Ladies'  Day   113 

Landing  force.    See  Brigade  drill. 

Leadsman's  song 10 

Libraries,  ships'  15 

Loading  drills   77,  82,  111 

Lucky  Bag,  the  28 

Magazine,  12-inch 138 

Maintenance,  cost  of,  vessels  of  the  Navy 193 

Mail  day   35,  111,  139 

Man-overboard  drill    34 

Manoeuvres,  fleet.    (See  Battle  plan.) 

Marine  Corps,  pay  of 191 

Marines  on  shipboard 72 

Market  boat 74 

Mascots,  the  ship's  118 

"Mast,"  the 9 

Messes,  the:  battalion,  91;  on  shipboard,  121;  the  general, 
121;  the  wardroom,  7,  122;  the  steerage,  122;  the 
warrant  officers',  122;  how  run,  122,  124;  life  in  the, 
125. 

Mine  laying  drill 75 

Mooring   ship 135 

Morro  Castle,  Santiago 61 

"Movies"    133 

Naval  station  at  Guantanamo  Bay 23 

Navigator,  the,  duties  of 15 

New  York,  leaving 11 

Night  target  practice 157 

Officers,  a  battleship's  17 

Painting  ship  89 

Passenger,  life  of  a,  on  board 36,  40,  69 

Pay  in  the  Navy 176 

Pensacola  Cup  107 

Personnel  of  the  Navy 173 


198  INDEX 

Proj  ectiles,  naval   194 

Promotion  in  the  Navy  176 

Physical  exercises 19 

"Ping-pong"  practice 75 

Powder,  smokeless   149 

Pulling  races.    (See  Boat  racing.) 

Rations    122,  177 

Relations  between  officers  and  men 121,  161 

Retirements     177 

Rewards  in  the  Navy 176 

Rivalry  between  ships  39 

Routine,  in  camp,  92;  on  board,  13,  35,  169. 

Santiago,  Cuba   56 

San  Salvador  Island 19 

Seamanship  exercises  48 

Searchlight  drill 79 

Shell  room,  12-inch 138 

Shooting  match,  officers' 108 

Shooting  parties 93,  116 

Signals  12,  39 

Smokeless  powder 149 

Smokers    54 

"Soldiering,"  aversion  to 73 

Southern  Drill  Grounds 137 

Sporting  spirit  in  the  Navy 118,  140 

Sports  Week 103-110 

Speeds,  change  of 13 

Standardization  trials 32 

Steaming,  fleet's  order  of,  12,  33;  at  night,  16,  19;  in  a  fog, 

136. 

Steaming  trials    32,  40 

Sub-station,  12-inch   155 

Superstition  in  the  Navy 132 

Swimming  26,  95 

Target  practice,  elementary,  75,  98,  142-162;  small  arms, 

93,  96,  101;  field  gun,  64;  old  and  new,  112. 

Target-raft,  repair  party  on 160 

Target  range,  small  arms,  at  Guantanamo  Bay  93,  96 


INDEX  199 

Toro  Cay 44 

Torpedo  drill   75 

Towing  trials  89 

Traditions  of  the  Service 24 

Tropical  weather  18,  92 

Turning  trials  67,  80,  83,  88 

Turret,  in  the  12-inch    88,  152 

Under  way,  getting  10 

Uniforms,  naval    24 

Uncas,  the  tug ; 56 

Wardroom  country    6 

Wardroom  mess 6,  7,  122 

Watling  Island   19 


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